The Dallas Mavericks have been countlessly ripped for their trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.
It took about a week for Anthony Davis to make his debut with the franchise, but it didn’t take long for him to show how much of a difference-maker he can be.
For starters, the Mavericks blocked eight of the Houston Rockets’ first 37 shot attempts, swatting a total of nine in the first 24 minutes of play while holding Houston to 17-of-51 shooting.
Davis rejected three of those shots, as he had Alperen Sengun in jail on one of them, daring him to back him down and recovering just in time to negate Sengun’s perfectly executed up-and-under move.
Furthermore, Davis brought it on the other side of the floor, finishing the first half with 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting, 13 rebounds, and five assists, becoming the first Mav to put up 20/10 in the team’s debut. That would be a solid performance on any given night for Davis and a career-best effort for some.
The Mavs have one of the best defenses in the league, especially when it comes to protecting the rim. That should help give Davis more of a comfort level going back to his natural power forward position, as he’ll have Daniel Gafford and eventually Dereck Lively II to help him contain the painted area.
Whatever the case may be, the 10-time All-Star clearly had more to say to those who gave the Mavs an “F” when grading the trade other than just “I’m here.”
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