Anthony Davis Aims to Leverage Mavericks Experience into Wizards Mentorship Role

Things looked very different for Anthony Davis a year ago today. He was just coming off of first NBA Media Day photoshoot with the Dallas Mavericks, where he prepared to partner up with a pair of fellow former No. 1 NBA Draft picks in Kyrie Irving and, more notably, incoming rookie Cooper Flagg.

Washington Wizards Forward Anthony Davis, Dallas Mavericks Guard Kyrie Irving and Forward Cooper Flagg — Sep 29, 2025; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3) and guard Kyrie Irving (11) and forward Cooper Flagg (32) pose for a photo during the Mavericks 2025 media day at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The season that followed that strange era went generally-according to plan for those first two figures, with Flagg carving through a nondescript context that ended with the star forward pocketing the league's Rookie of the Year award while the still-injured Irving watched safely from Dallas' sidelines. That resolution wouldn't include Davis, though, with the big getting traded once again to the Washington Wizards before that season's conclusion.

He has to be experiencing some serious déjà vu this week, with his new Washington setting offering several blatant reminders of his last stop. Once more, he finds himself paired up with a fresh duo of former draft headliners in Deandre Ayton and AJ Dybantsa, the latter of whom will continue grappling with Flagg comparisons in preparation for his own professional debut.

Davis, having now spent a few offseason weeks with Dybantsa, had some insight to share on similarities he's already spotted between the similarly-touted prospects. "I think the ones that are special, like Coop and obviously AJ, they want to learn. They want to get better. They ask questions, the right questions," he told On SI. "He's going to have a target on his back. Everyone's going to want to come after him, same thing with Coop last year. He's ready for it."

“He’s a very special talent.”

Anthony Davis gives No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa his flowers at @WashWizards Media Day 🙌 pic.twitter.com/aCSm3RzCG8
— NBA (@NBA) September 28, 2026

Davis' Unique Experience as Prospect-Turned-Mentor

It's a situation Davis knows well, and not just from the 20 games he spent as a 2025-26 Maverick. He, too, once teed off a draft class all the way back in 2012, ultimately succumbing that season's ROTY award to the older Damian Lillard despite a strong defensive debut with the then-New Orleans Hornets.

He helped revive that post-Chris Paul iteration of the franchise, a mantle that many predict Dybantsa will similarly take up in captaining the developmentally-deep Wizards.

They're stacked with a half-dozen other recent first-round picks along with veterans both leading off and padding the rotation to come, where Davis anticipates the rookie's combination of wide-ranging skills and instincts to carry him to early glory.

"He's ready for it," Davis analyzed. "He's got all the tools to be successful in this league. Can defend, can make any shot. You guys will be able to see. I mean, you've seen a bit of it in Summer League and throughout his tenure in college. AJ has his style, and he wants it. He works very hard. He listens. He's dedicated."

#1 #1 #1 #2 (opted out of being #1) 😤🔜 pic.twitter.com/vbrNHltpcg
— SleeperWizards (@SleeperWizards) September 29, 2026

Davis clarified that he'll remain there for Dybantsa should he go looking for any guidance, but he's angling to generally-stay out of the phenom's way as he learns to fly.

It's an interesting strategy to implement considering the differences between the situations that Davis and even Flagg walked into- Dybantsa will have to get used to life alongside more qualified professional ball-handlers and scorers immediately, though everyone's anticipating the talented rookie figuring out how to make his impact felt however possible.

Former BYU Cougars Forward AJ Dybantsa — Mar 7, 2026; Provo, Utah, USA; BYU Cougars forward AJ Dybantsa (3) speaks to broadcast crews after a win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Marriott Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Baker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Regardless of context, let alone Davis' own bigger-picture concerns as he navigates a contractual limbo, he'll remain a valuable resource thanks to his experience as a similarly-pressured draft prize who's lived long enough to mentor players just like him.

As clunky as some analysts have figured Dybantsa's place in the starting lineup to be, he may already be surrounded by a subtly-fitting support system.

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