Mavericks fans will love Stephen A. Smith’s latest NBA prediction

Should the Dallas Mavericks be considered title favorites?

Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) and forward Anthony Davis (3) during the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Houston Rockets at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis will pair to form one of the most talented duos in the NBA this season, at least once Irving returns from his ACL injury. Because of that, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith believes the Dallas Mavericks will win the championship if they're both healthy for the playoffs.

" Together, both healthy with their A-game, I would pick the Dallas Mavericks to win the NBA championship. I'm going to say it again," Smith repeated, "If Anthony Davis, if Kyrie Irving is healthy, and Anthony Davis brings his A-game, the Dallas Mavericks will win the NBA championship."

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Stephen A. Smith has been very high on the Mavericks this offseason, calling them the biggest threat to the Oklahoma City Thunder, and now he's saying they're going to win a championship.

However, his caveat is a big one. There is no guarantee that Kyrie Irving returns to the same caliber of player he was before the injury, as he is a smaller guard who relies on his quickness and stop-and-star ability to get around defenders and he's in his mid-30s.

Also, relying on Anthony Davis to stay healthy can be a losing proposition. In his last seven seasons, he's played more than 60 games just twice. For a team relying on him to produce until Irving is back, they can't afford for Davis to miss too many games, and there are a lot of back-to-backs in the first half of the season.

Even if both players are healthy entering the postseason, are they going to be in a position to strike? It's more realistic that the Mavericks have to fight through the Play-In Tournament again, and all it could take is a loss in a bad matchup and they're out of the postseason entirely again.

Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3) reacts during the second quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Realistic Expectations For the Kyrie Irving-Anthony Davis Tandem

Even if both players are healthy by the postseason, the team is going to change how it plays once Irving returns, and they're going to get 2-3 months, at most, of someone like Cooper Flagg adjusting to Kyrie Irving having the ball after he was told he'd have the ball in his hands early.

It's more realistic for the Mavericks to be contenders in the 2026-27 season, even if that's a year older for David and Irving, it's also another year if experience for Cooper Flagg. Hopefully, they can get him some NBA postseason experience this season, and they can go all out for the 2026-27 season.

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