Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis walks toward the bench during a time out against the Memphis Grizzlies Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Mavericks' Anthony Davis still ranked among best players in Western Conference

Originally posted on Dallas Mavericks on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Aug 7, 2025 4:52 PM ET

Dallas Mavericks star forward Anthony Davis stumbled into the Lone Star State after being acquired in the Luka Doncic trade with the Los Angeles Lakers.

NBA.com writer John Schuhmann thinks Davis will rebound, naming him as one of the 10 best players in the Western Conference going into the upcoming season.

"It’s all about good health with Davis, yesterday, today and tomorrow. He couldn’t even make it through his first season —heck, first game— with the Mavericks without grabbing a body part," Schuhmann wrote.

"Such is life with one of the most accomplished two-way players of this generation. Make no mistake: Davis has few peers when it comes to doing work at both ends and should confirm as much in 2025-26. His shooting range and post-up skills draw double teams, while his rebounding and shot-blocking make him nearly impossible to replace. Unfortunately, his constant fragility puts his teams in such a position."

Davis among best Western Conference players

Other players on Schuhmann's listed included Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder), Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves), Luka Doncic (Los Angeles Lakers), Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors), Kevin Durant (Houston Rockets), Kawhi Leonard (Los Angeles Clippers), LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers) and Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs).

The Mavs are fortunate to have Davis as the Western Conference begins to take a bit of a turn. While players like LeBron, Durant and Curry still remain among the league's powerhouses, a new batch of stars is eagerly waiting to take over.

Dallas has one of those future stars in Cooper Flagg, who will carry the torch once Davis moves on from the Mavs.

For now, Davis is still one of the best players in the league and the Mavs should build the offense and defense around him. However, the future of the team lies with Flagg, so it will be interesting to see how Dallas responds to the power dynamic between the present and future.

Davis and the Mavs are taking some time off before training camp starts next month.

This article first appeared on Dallas Mavericks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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