Mavericks star Anthony Davis has something to prove

"People are sleeping on Anthony Marshon Davis Jr. He is going to be on a mission. People better watch the f**k out for AD."

That's what ESPN's Kendrick Perkins said of the Dallas Mavericks star on the latest episode of the "Road Trippin'" podcast. Davis is well aware of all the noise that surrounded February's trade, when he was the main return for Luka Doncic, a beloved figure among Mavs fans.

Anthony Davis bounce-back year is loading...

“People are sleeping on Anthony Marshon Davis Jr.” 😴 - @KendrickPerkins pic.twitter.com/c1o1U5phxQ
— Road Trippin’🎧 (@RoadTrippinPod) August 19, 2025

All of that noise is partially why Davis pushed to return from injury before he was ready for that debut against the Houston Rockets. He looked spectacular before going down in the third quarter, but he's going to want to prove a lot of things, mainly that he can still help win games and have dominant performances.

He had a few big performances after returning from injury, including 40 points against the Memphis Grizzlies in the Play-In Tournament in a losing effort. He and the team will have to prove they can win games, because winning cures most, if not all.

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

Anthony Davis Also Has to Stay Healthy

The biggest things Davis has to prove is that he can stay healthy. Even is he comes out averaging 27 PPG, 12 RPG, a few assists. and a few blocks, it won't matter if he's only playing in half of the games.

In the last 7 seasons, Davis has only played more than 60 games twice. With Kyrie Irving out for at least the first half of the season, it'll fall on Davis to be available and to play at a high level. His first few months with the Mavericks don't exactly inspire confidence in that.

Davis was injured when the trade first occurred, but he rushed and strained his adductor in he debut, knocking him out for more than a month. Even when he came back, he was still laboring at times, got a scratch above his eye, and every time he falls down, it makes you concerned.

Not helping matters is that Davis had a procedure this offseason to repair a detached retina. Even if he's expected to be back by training camp, those are crazy words, and it's far from the first time that Davis has had strange injuries.

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