Former Maverick blames Anthony Davis for his latest injury

Richard Jefferson thinks only Anthony Davis is to blame for his latest injury.

Oct 15, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3) looks outward during the first half against the Los Angeles Lakers at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images | Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

Dallas Mavericks star forward Anthony Davis left Wednesday's game against the Indiana Pacers with a left lower leg injury, and it's likely related to the injury he was listed with prior to the game: bilateral Achilles tendinopathy. That is usually stiffness and soreness in both legs, and it's usually caused by overuse. They then announced that he'd miss a few games officially due to a calf strain.

However, it doesn't help that Davis entered training camp overweight, with him saying he would play himself into shape. And now, five games into the season, he's already dealing with a tough injury. And former Maverick Richard Jefferson thinks he can only blame himself.

"How many times did you see players come into camp overweight and then deal with lower leg,calf, or just injuries over the course of the year? If you do this,the probability of [injury] happening goes up exponentially, right? You said your doctor was like, ‘Hey, come in light.’So if you’ve had an injury history or if you come in out of shape,and then you’re trying to get [hurt].

“When we see Anthony Davis walk into training camp and seeing that he was a little heavy,” Jefferson said on the "Road Trippin'" podcast, “if you told me looking at him in that interview, that eight games in, he would have Achilles soreness? Yes.”

Jefferson has a point. A lot of people criticized Davis for the condition he showed up into camp with, even if he was likely limited because of the detached retina procedure he had during the summer. He likely couldn't work out for 4-6 weeks as that healed. But Davis still could've done a much better job of coming into camp in better shape.

Oct 13, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward/center Anthony Davis (3) drives to the basket into Utah Jazz forward/center Lauri Markkanen (23) during the second quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Peter Creveling-Imagn Images | Peter Creveling-Imagn Images

READ MORE: Anthony Davis headlines lengthy Mavericks injury report vs. Pistons

Dallas Mavericks Need to Consider Trading Anthony Davis

The roster was already a weird fit with Anthony Davis in the lineup. The offense is the worst in the NBA (not an exaggeration), there's no spacing or shooting, and Davis isn't moving smoothly on defense. The only issue is, there's no trade that will make the fanbase happy. He was THE return for Luka Doncic, which already felt like getting 50 cents on the dollar, and Davis' value can't be that high around the NBA right now.

Much smarter teams, which may be every team in the NBA except for the New Orleans Pelicans and the Sacramento Kings, are aware that Davis is an older player who is often injured and has a player option worth over $60 million in two years. No one will want to pay him that.

READ MORE: Banged-up Mavericks set to face Detroit Pistons in Mexico City

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