Ex-Celtics player gives high praise to Mavericks' Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving

The Dallas Mavericks have one of the more talented duos in the NBA, when healthy, in Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis. Although age and durability remain concerns with the two of them, there's no denying how great they are when they're on the floor.

Former Boston Celtics big man Daniel Theis was recently asked about the toughest players to guard, and named Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving, as well as Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic.

"I will give you the bigs," Theis said on the "Euro Insiders" podcast. "It's like Jokic, Embiid, Anthony Davis. Because basically, Anthony Davis is a guard in a big man's body. Facing up, his jump shot off the dribble. Facing up, his jump shot off the dribble stuff.

Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3) drives to the basket against Memphis Grizzlies forward Santi Aldama (7) during the first quarter at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

"Skill-wise, if you have Kyrie in the iso against you, like you don't know. Left, right, mid-range, finish. There are so many talented players in the NBA, if you play iso with them one-on-one, you're on an island."

Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic are obvious inclusions, given that they have four MVP awards between the two of them. And Kyrie Irving is often called the most skilled player in the NBA. But Anthony Davis' offensive skills can be forgotten. He's not an elite shooter, shooting below 30% from three ever since he won a championship with the Lakers in 2020.

But Davis takes great advantage of mismatches, can handle the ball well for a near seven-footer, and is elite from the elbows. He's powerful enough to fight through contact and agile enough to get around shot-blockers. It's always just been about staying healthy with him.

Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) shoots the ball against the Los Angeles Lakers during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Anthony Davis May Have to Carry Mavericks Early

Because Kyrie Irving is recovering from a torn ACL, Anthony Davis will have to be elite night in and night out while also being available. Davis only played 9 games for the Mavericks last season and went down in the third quarter of his debut. If he's in and out of the lineup early, giving Cooper Flagg even more responsibility, that likely won't lead to wins for the Mavs.

That isn't to say Flagg won't be a good player, he very likely will be, but he'll need to rely on the talent and experience around him early as he gets used to the speed and physicality of the NBA. He'll have a target on his back, players like Davis can help relieve that,

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