Jason Kidd is finally learning the Anthony Davis truth the Lakers never forgot

Anthony Davis has found his niche at the center position for the Dallas Mavericks, despite his dream being to play at power forward. After being traded to Dallas, he was granted his wish to play power forward with Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford taking the center position. Naturally, Davis looks a lot better in his original position and is helping the team a lot more with Lively II and Gafford out due to injury.

Jason Kidd has learned that Davis is a much better center than he is a power forward, and this is a lesson that the Los Angeles Lakers always knew.

With the Lakers, Davis' role was a bit different compared to his days with the New Orleans Pelicans. He was playing much more center in Los Angeles than he was in New Orleans, despite his preference to play power forward.

Davis returning to the court helps, too, as his injuries have been the quiet reason for holding the Mavericks back this season. We're not necessarily saying the injuries are a direct reason for him preferring to play the four, but his full potential is on display when he's playing at center.

Jason Kidd is realizing that Anthony Davis is at his best at center

Kidd has been forced to play Davis at center due to other injuries within the frontcourt, but this shift seems to be exactly what the Mavs needed to get back on track. He has been dominating down low on both ends, and it's not even worth experimenting with him at power forward anymore.

Right before the terrible trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Lakers, Davis was adamant about playing at power forward, and he didn't necessarily get to do that a whole lot once he arrived in Dallas. Why, you might ask? He was injured, and Mavs fans unfortunately know about that too well now.

The only reason it made sense for Davis to play at power forward was that he was around two natural centers already in Lively II and Gafford. This set the tone for Davis' wish to be granted. Now, with Dereck Lively II out and Daniel Gafford suffering an injury in the Miami Heat game, it seems like fate that fans are finally seeing Davis head toward his ultimate potential.

The Lakers also didn't have a solid plan after they got rid of Davis. Lakers GM Rob Pelinka definitely had a vision to see Davis play elsewhere, but the Lakers didn't have much of a big man identity last season. Jaxson Hayes wasn't even remotely close to seeing relevant minutes late in the season, and Jarred Vanderbilt was about their most trusted big, who's not even known as a center at all.

The Lakers' first-round playoff exit revealed that Doncic had to become a one-man show with no bigs to help him out, and the Mavs desperately needed a playmaker like Doncic, causing a true irony for both franchises at the end of the season. The Mavs have a huge advantage to play around and mix and match their big guys once healthy, but the key word is health.

Davis has yet to show that he can be consistently present on the court, and until he does, Mavs fans should still be wary. In his two recent games against the Heat and Denver Nuggets, Davis has played like vintage Davis, scoring from anywhere on the court and rebounding the basketball. All fans can ask is that he keep his body healthy to stay on the court and continue dominating.

Davis may not be a top-10 player in the NBA now, but when he's on his game and playing center, it's very difficult for opposing bigs to stop him.