Mavericks have another out-of-shape star

Being larger may be a conscious strategy for Davis, but he's still at least 10 pounds heavier than his previous efforts to come to training camp above his playing weight.

Anthony Davis was a questionable choice for a team concerned with health

It's not Davis' fault that he's suffered so many injuries, including an adductor strain in his very first game with the Mavericks that kept him out for the team's next 19 games. But it was a curious choice to swap Doncic for a player six years older than him. 2024-25 was the most injury-plagued season of Doncic's career, and he ended up playing just one fewer game than Davis.

Over Doncic's seven-year career, he's played 450 games. In that same time span, Davis has played 377, roughly 10 fewer games per season. Doncic himself weighed in at 244 pounds for the Lakers, which is higher than his official weight of 230 pounds for most of his career, but far lower than his reported weight in the "high 260s" last season.

Doncic clearly wasn't nearly as committed to fitness a year ago. But like Davis, much of Doncic's weight gain last season was a consequence of not being able to exercise after a severe calf strain. A player can have a fantastic regimen of exercise and preparation, but that goes out the window if injuries won't let him follow that routine.

That's where the Mavericks seem to have had a blind spot with Davis. He may well drop the extra weight quickly and play himself into shape, but the odds are high that an injury will leave him off the court and out of shape again.