It's time for Mavericks to turn down Anthony Davis' biggest wish

The Dallas Mavericks are one of the few NBA teams that have fully committed to the double-big philosophy after trading for Anthony Davis at the trade deadline last season. While the Mavericks have committed to having Davis and one of Dereck Lively II or Daniel Gafford on the floor at all times during the starting lineup, the Mavericks could quickly realize that Davis isn't a four and is, in fact, better suited as a five.

Labeling Davis as a center isn't anything that would be considered new, as during his time with both the New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Lakers, Davis was often the lone big man on the floor. Even with this in mind, Davis has always favored playing the power forward position over being the lone big on the floor, and since joining the Mavericks, Davis has gotten that wish granted in his limited time on the floor when he is healthy, as well as Lively II or Gafford.

There's no doubt that the Mavericks do have one of the biggest lineups in the league, but they could quickly realize that too much size on the floor at any given time could spell bad news for Dallas' perimeter defense. Davis may be one of the few players who wouldn't want to see this change happen, but during the preseason, it was clear that the Mavericks are sacrificing perimeter defense to fulfill Davis' wishes.

Mavericks need to shoot down Davis' dream of being a power forward

Last season, the Mavericks were one of the teams that decided to fully opt into a massive frontcourt lineup at the trade deadline. It's not only clear that the Mavericks adopted a lineup similar to Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley's Cleveland Cavaliers' one-two punch, but other teams like the Houston Rockets would shift their lineups to combat Dallas' massive size.

There's no doubt that today's NBA has shifted towards more size on the floor at any given point due to the Mavericks and their huge frontcourt, especially after drafting Cooper Flagg with the first overall pick, but Dallas may need to swallow their pride and keep Davis at the five to ensure better perimeter defense.

Throughout the preseason, one of the Mavericks' biggest problems was their lack of point-of-attack defense, which led to too much pressure on the Mavericks' frontcourt. No matter the amount of shot blockers and size you have down low, eventually the defense will bend, and that is what happened to the Mavericks.

Not only would Davis accepting his fate and committing to playing the five help the Mavericks' defense, but it would also help space out the floor and allow Jason Kidd to put more shooters on the floor to surround Davis.

During the preseason, Davis was often paired with Lively II, but when he was on the floor as the lone five, his production was off the charts. Not only did this give the Mavericks more of an oppurtunity to defend around the perimeter, but with Flagg or P.J. Washington likely on the floor anytime Davis switches to the lone big, the Mavericks will still have plenty of size in the frontcourt.

By no means should the Mavericks fully bench Gafford or even Lively II in favor of laying Davis for 30 minutes at a game at the center position, but if Dallas' defense gets off to a slow start this season, Nico Harrison may want to be thinking about trading one of Gafford or Lively II to free up minutes at center.