Fans haven’t seen how Anthony Davis will play alongside Dereck Lively II since he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks. So far, they’ve only seen the duo of Davis and Daniel Gafford. However, they got to see the tandem of the big men duo for the first time on Wednesday against the Atlanta Hawks, which they won, 120-118. Lively was out of the lineup since Jan. 14 because of a minor fracture in his right ankle and the roster has had a few changes since then.
Head coach Jason Kidd put the sophomore big man in the starting lineup with Davis but was limited to 15 minutes. The former Duke center had four points, five rebounds and a block. Although his time on the floor didn’t last long, it showed how well his presence could benefit Davis.
Davis, who led the team with 34 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks, revealed that he’s taken the mentorship role. The 10-time All-Star spoke highly of his young teammate and revealed that Lively is eager to learn from him, which he welcomed.
“Very skilled. He’s only gonna continue to get better. He’s always asking me about certain moves and how to read the floor on offense and defense, and I’m happy just that I’ve kinda taken him under my wing to teach him some stuff, actually learned under Tyson [Chandler],” Davis said. “…He’s gonna be a great player in this league, he wants to get better, he wants to be great.”
Anthony Davis on Dereck Lively II:
“Very skilled. He’s only gonna continue to get better. He’s always asking me about certain moves and how to read the floor on offense and defense, and I’m happy just that I’ve kinda taken him under my wing to teach him some stuff, actually… pic.twitter.com/kwkqnhyzNd
— Noah Weber (@noahweber00) April 3, 2025
Their game against the Hawks was the first time fans saw what the trio of the Mavericks’ big men can do on the floor. With Davis at the power forward position, Lively and Gafford can take turns as the center and impose a threatening interior defense.
Dallas Mavericks star player is excited to see how they can lead the team with Lively and Gafford
The Dallas Mavericks aren’t at their full power since they don’t have All-Star guard Kyrie Irving, who was ruled out of the season after suffering a torn ACL. However, they’ve shown how their frontcourt can be a weapon against their opponents. Davis is excited about what’s to come for the Mavericks and spoke highly about it after the game.
“We know how dominant we can be when we all healthy and available, it’s just about us going out there and enforcing our dominance,” Davis said.
Anthony Davis on the excitement to play with Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford:
“We know how dominant we can be when we all healthy and available, it’s just about us going out there and enforcing our dominance.” pic.twitter.com/GsAY2r9RbE
— Noah Weber (@noahweber00) April 3, 2025
The Mavericks are ninth in the Western Conference with a 38-39 record. They look to secure a spot in the Play-In Tournament. With all three big men healthy, Dallas could be a nightmare matchup heading into the postseason.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
