One glaring reason Mavericks could miss NBA playoffs

The Dallas Mavericks are hoping to move up from their No. 10 spot in the Western Conference playoff picture in the upcoming season.

However, PHNX writer Gerald Bourguet thinks that's exactly where the Mavs will be again at the end of the 2025-26 campaign.

"On the one hand, the Mavs remained surprisingly feisty last season after the Luka Doncic trade and injuries to both Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving. They have a nice mix of high-end role players that will surprise some teams, like Naji Marshall, PJ Washington, Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford, Max Christie and the newly acquired D’Angelo Russell. Throw in the No. 1 overall pick who’s as NBA-ready as anyone in this year’s draft class, and Dallas should absolutely be in the play-in hunt," Bourguet wrote.

"But to actually get there, they’ll need Anthony Davis to stay healthy and play with that pissed off post-trade energy he showed in his very first half in Dallas…right up until he got injured. That’s been the tale of his career and his early stint in Big D so far, since AD only managed 9 appearances for the Mavericks after the break.

"If he can stay healthy, this team has a decent shot to make the playoffs. If not…they’ll be asking quite a lot from role players, D-Lo and the leading Rookie of the Year candidate in Cooper Flagg."