What new Dallas Mavericks assistant Phil Handy said about Anthony Davis shows exactly how highly he rates him

Phil Handy rates Davis’ talent highly

Phil Handy is one of the most respected coaches in the league and has had stints with championship teams of the Lakers, Toronto Raptors and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

He was on the Lakers coaching staff in 2020 alongside Jason Kidd and is now set to join him as an assistant in Dallas.

Handy will once again coach AD, a player who he spoke about highly in his appearance on ‘All the Smoke’ podcast.

He said: “AD is special, man. What he can do at seven feet? Dribble, pass, shoot, post up, handle … Nah, man, he’s special.

“I don’t even think AD realizes how special he is. I think the great part about him is that he’s such a good dude, he’s got a great family.”

Handy further gave AD praise by calling him an MVP caliber player.

“But I think AD has an opportunity to … he’s an NBA MVP-caliber player. I’m talking about the way he can really dominate the game on both ends. Like he cleans up a lot of stuff, man.

“He’s just a special talent, man. They call him the unicorn,” Handy added.

Anthony Davis will benefit from playing under Handy’s coaching

Davis enjoyed the best stint of his career while playing for the Lakers under Handy.

He is one of the best player development coaches in the NBA and has worked with the likes of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and even Kobe Bryant.

He was most recently on the Lakers, but left the team in 2024 when JJ Redick took over the coaching responsibilities.

The 53-year-old was called up to Kidd’s coaching staff, which will be an exciting move considering he now joins Davis and Irving.

AD endured injuries towards the end of last season, which led to him missing a few games as well.

He also underwent surgery on his eye, but should be back for the Mavericks next season.

With Handy on the coaching staff, they will work to unlock the best out of Davis.

The Mavs have a stacked roster with Davis, Irving and Klay Thompson leading the way for them.

However, AD will be important because of his two-way dominance and ability to lead the team from the front.