2 weeks Ago
The Dallas Mavericks limped their way to the finish line - literally - after ending their season with a loss to the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA Play-In. It was a campaign derailed by injuries as nearly every player on the roster dealt with an issue at some point during the year. That included stretches in the second half of the season where the Mavericks were down to as few as seven available players.
The injury bug bit Dallas harder than ever, especially in the aftermath of the franchise trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. The main piece the Mavericks acquired in the deal, all-star forward Anthony Davis, aggravated an adductor strain in his debut with the team. That forced Davis to miss six weeks of action.
When he did return, he didn't look quite right and it was clear that he was playing at less than 100%. READ MORE: Mavs’ Nico Harrison responds to criticism of trading for Anthony Davis Despite dropping 40 points in the loss to Memphis, Davis struggled to finish the game. Trainers were spotted working on his left groin, right leg, and lower back throughout timeouts.
In what is a twist of good news for the Mavericks, general manager Nico Harrison revealed that Davis won't need surgery to address any of the issues this summer. He should be able to rest and rehab in an effort to be fully ready to go for the preseason. "No, he won't.
He finished the season fine," Harrison said . "He feels good about where he's at and he'll continue to build and get healthy." Harrison also discussed the status of second-year center Dereck Lively II, whose status has become a point of contention for some within the organization.
He's not expected to need surgery either. "I don't believe he will either," Harrison said. Lively II was believed to be dealing with an ankle sprain in January but further evaluation revealed the big man had actually suffered a stress fracture.
Subsequently, the ailment kept him out until April 2. Since his return, Lively II played in four of the final six regular-season games and both play-in games for the Mavericks. According to ESPN's Tim McMahon , the 21-year-old remained on a minutes restriction.
This means that the Mavericks frontcourt should be fully ready to go when basketball activities resume in a few months. There's still a lot of potential surrounding the pairing of Davis, Lively II, and forward P.J.
Washington. It'll be interesting to see what the trio can look like at full strength. READ MORE: Nico Harrison's treatment of former Mavericks employee should be the last straw Stick with MavericksGameday for more FREE coverage of the Dallas Mavericks throughout the 2024-25 Season Follow MavericksGameday on Twitter and Austin Veazey on Twitter More Dallas Mavericks News Mark Cuban fires back at Mavericks' Nico Harrison after Dirk Nowitzki disrespect Mavericks receive positive Kyrie Irving injury update NBA analyst takes vicious shot at Mavericks’ Nico Harrison Full transcript from Mavericks GM Nico Harrison's polarizing secret media conference.
