Jason Kidd says Mavericks are making Anthony Davis change fans didn’t see coming

Jason Kidd has made it clear that Anthony Davis won't spend much time at power forward.

Noah Weber

Dallas Mavericks, Anthony Davis / Mitchell Leff/GettyImages

Despite Anthony Davis' longstanding wish to play power forward, Jason Kidd recently revealed that he will continue to spend most of his time at center. Mavericks fans feared that Kidd might try to experiment heavily with Davis at the four, even with Dereck Lively II out for the year, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

"With the way we’re built right now, AD’s got to play the five," Kidd said in a recent press conference. "That gives us the best chance to win."

Kidd said this two days before Davis got hurt against the Golden State Warriors, but Mavs fans can at least be excited that Kidd isn't trying to force a square puzzle piece into a circular hole by making him play heavy minutes at power forward every night. Dallas doesn't have the center depth to play Davis at his preferred position at the four, but that doesn't mean that Kidd won't ever play him at power forward.

Jason Kidd commits to Anthony Davis at his best position

Kidd has already said that Davis will spend some time at power forward to help give Daniel Gafford some more time on the floor, and this is a compromise that Mavs fans will have to live with. Only playing Gafford for the minutes that Davis is off the floor wouldn't allow Gafford to get enough playing time, and Kidd using the double-big lineup is more about logistics than potency.

We've seen Kidd try out the Davis-Gafford pairing a few times over the last few weeks, and it produced mixed results. The first time that they used it, Dallas didn't score or get a stop against the New Orleans Pelicans. This tandem failed at the worst possible time, and the Mavs ended up losing to one of the worst teams in the West.

The next day, Kidd utilized this pairing against the Denver Nuggets to combat a Jonas Valanciunas-Nikola Jokic frontcourt in the fourth quarter. They played better, and the Mavericks won that game 131-130.

Kidd will likely continue to try this lineup at times once Davis is healthy again, but the fact that he realizes Davis is at his best when playing center is a major breath of fresh air for fans. Mavericks fans have known this long before the 2025-26 season began, but they knew that Davis would have to play at power forward some due to the way the roster is constructed.

Now, with the season on the line, Kidd has opted to make Davis the team's primary center and only play him at power forward when necessary. He hasn't even tried to start Gafford alongside Davis yet, and Mavs fans should get to see Davis at his optimal position for the remainder of the regular season.

His build, defensive impact, and skillset make him much more dominant when he is the only big man on the floor, and Kidd isn't messing around here. He's with you, Mavericks fans, and the only time that he will be playing power forward will likely be when sharing the floor with Gafford.

Noah Weber

Noah Weber is the Site Expert for The Smoking Cuban, covering the Dallas Mavericks as a credentialed media member since the 2022-23 season. With a Bachelor of Science in Sports Media from Oklahoma State University, Noah has worked in sports journalism since 2019. While he's covered the Dallas Cowboys and Oklahoma State Cowboys, he has now established himself as a go-to voice for Mavericks coverage. Noah's expertise includes in-depth game analysis, social media content creation, and offering unique perspectives through his reporting. His work has been featured on major platforms such as ESPN, Bleacher Report, and Overtime. During his time at Oklahoma State, Noah won first place in the Oklahoma Broadcast Education Association Awards for a show he co-produced. Outside of covering the Mavs, Noah enjoys working out, playing basketball and Spikeball, and spending quality time with friends and family.