Mavericks must follow the plan Lakers ignored to avoid Anthony Davis disaster

After the initial shock wore off from the Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade in February, Dallas Mavericks fans still aboard the bandwagon immediately started wondering if Davis would play more at the four or at the five, especially since Dallas has such a deep center pool already with Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford. However, these questions were answered quickly as Davis played 61 percent of his minutes at the five with Dallas last season, in large part due to Dallas' bigs being heavily injured through that stretch.

Many Mavericks fans have theorized that playing Davis at the five would be most optimal for Dallas' spacing, but the Mavericks are allocating far too many resources toward Lively II and Gafford for this to be a viable option when they are fully healthy next season, and it's clear as day that playing Davis at the four will be the best move heading into next season, especially from a health perspective.

Davis has long claimed that the banging and physicality from playing at center may have factored into him being less durable throughout his career. During the Los Angeles Lakers' championship season in 2019-20, Davis played 60 percent of his minutes at the four, yet he had almost solely played the five for the Lakers from the 2022-23 season onward until he arrived in Dallas.

Mavericks need to play Davis at power forward to keep him healthy

From a games played perspective, Davis was technically more healthy when he was playing center compared to power forward for the Lakers, but it's hard to tell what position he was playing most often when his injuries occurred, and if he feels more safe and comfortable playing at power forward, then Dallas and head coach Jason Kidd should certainly go that route.

The Mavericks and GM Nico Harrison have constructed this roster in a fashion where it'd be malpractice to play Davis at the five for long stretches, barring the end of games and halves where Dallas needs to maximize their shot creation ability. Of Davis' minutes at the four for Dallas last season, the Mavericks had a +10.4 net rating, compared to a -4.8 net rating when he was playing center.

While that is obviously a limited sample size, it's clear Dallas' personnel favors Davis playing the four, and with it being his stylistic preference, this must be Kidd's first option going into next season until he's proven otherwise. Davis' theory of having to assume a greater physical workload at center completely makes sense, and him playing the four more often could be the natural step he needs to take to prolong his prime.

The Mavericks have the perfect situation for Davis to capitalize upon his preference, and this could lead to a dream scenario if everything turns out well, but playing the four will undoubtedly mean Davis will have to be an efficient jump-shooter from the mid-range area and even beyond, and the Mavericks' wings will have to be able to knock down 3-pointers at a solid enough clip for this plan to fully work out.