Dirk Nowitzki drops Anthony Davis question that could define Mavericks’ season

Everything changed for the Dallas Mavericks on February 1 when Luka Doncic was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis. This was a move that no one expected, and everything that possibly could’ve gone wrong went wrong for the Mavericks following that controversial trade.

From injuries to falling down the standings and barely squeezing into the Play-In Tournament, and more, Dallas wasn’t the same team as they were with Doncic leading the way. Now, Davis has the chance to finally win over Mavericks fans by showing off his full potential and potentially being fully healthy as the 2025-26 season begins shortly.

The Mavs have plenty of hype surrounding them ahead of this crucial first season of the Cooper Flagg era, and Dirk Nowitzki recently revealed one important aspect about Davis that could end up making or breaking Dallas’ season.

Dirk Nowitzki sends clear message on Anthony Davis

His health.

Before Nowitzki’s Tennis Classic on Saturday at T Bar M Racquet Club in Dallas, Nowitzki talked about the Mavs’ upcoming season. While he mentioned the overall health of the team and Kyrie Irving being X-factors for next season, he also brought up Davis in particular, remaining on the floor.

“Is AD gonna stay healthy,” Nowitzki said when talking about the Mavericks’ potential next season. “We know Lively missed some action over the last few years. But if they stay healthy, I think that’s a very deep team.”

Dallas’ depth won’t ever be in question, as they truly have one of the deepest teams in the NBA, but Davis’ health will definitely be one of the biggest factors that will determine the outcome of the season. The Mavericks will only go as far as Davis takes them, as he is one of the new faces of the franchise, and all eyes will be on him as soon as the regular season tips off.

In his first season for Dallas, Davis played just nine games after suffering an adductor strain in his first game as a Maverick. He gave fans an outstanding preview of how dominant he could be by putting up a 26-point, 16-rebound performance against the Houston Rockets in his debut, but fans' worst fear about him joining the team happened when he went down in that game. This put a major hamper on the season, and it was clear that the Mavs didn’t have the firepower to be a contender after seeing Irving go down with an ACL tear less than a month later.

Both superstars missed time when they were needed most, and the team being unhealthy for a majority of the year ultimately ended up being one of the main storylines of the season. Most of Dallas' main players missed significant time with injuries, but serious injuries to the superstar duo are what sank the ship.

This season, Dallas will be without Irving for the start of the year, and this is exactly why everything may hinge on Davis’ health. Even with Flagg joining the picture, the Mavs can’t win without a healthy Davis, and they can't afford for him to miss a bunch of games.

Over the last four years, Davis has averaged about 56 games played per season, and Dallas is going to need him on the floor much more than that. They won't be able to stay afloat without Davis in the lineup at the beginning of the year since Irving is already going to be out, and him being healthy and dominant right out of the gates will be pivotal for the Mavericks.

Dallas will need Davis to play like one of the best bigs in the Western Conference while also staying on the floor, and if he can do those two things, the Mavericks will be just fine. Mavs fans have seemingly forgotten how Davis can be when he's at his best, but he has to remain healthy in order to reach that level.

Nowitzki's breakdown of his former team was intriguing, especially since he will be on analyst on Amazon Prime next season, and Davis' health is going to be one of the most talked-about things as the season progresses. It has already been a main talking point over the last few days, as there has been some skepticism that recovery from his retina surgery from earlier this summer could carry over into the regular season, and the Mavericks better hope that their star big man is ready to roll on opening night.