‘Next Man Up’: Dallas Mavericks Adjust Again After Anthony Davis Hand Injury Tests Depth

For the Dallas Mavericks, Anthony Davis’ latest injury did not arrive as an isolated moment, but as the continuation of a season shaped by disruption. Late in Thursday’s loss to Utah, Davis suffered ligament damage to his left hand — an injury that was confirmed by MRI the following morning and will sideline him indefinitely as he seeks multiple medical opinions.

The diagnosis forces Dallas to recalibrate yet again, this time without its most impactful frontcourt presence and with little clarity on when — or if — Davis will return this season.

Another Setback in a Season of Attrition

Davis’ injury is the latest — and possibly the most damaging — development for a Mavericks team already without Kyrie Irving and now facing the absence of two of its three primary big men. Dereck Lively II was lost earlier this season, leaving Dallas thin in the frontcourt and short on margin.

Winning without Davis has been difficult. The Mavericks are 4–14 this season when he does not play, a reflection of how central his presence is on both ends of the floor. His absence removes their best rebounder, rim protector. and interior scoring threat — all at once.

Davis appeared in good spirits Saturday morning at the United Center ahead of Dallas’ game against the Chicago Bulls. Wearing a black sling to support his heavily wrapped left hand, the Chicago native stayed engaged during shootaround, offering encouragement and remaining visibly present despite the circumstances.

No One Player to Replace Anthony Davis

Before practice, coach Jason Kidd made it clear that there would be no attempt to replicate Davis’ role with a single replacement.

“We’re not looking to replace AD [Anthony Davis],” Kidd said. “It’s got to be a group effort – the next man up and then the next man up. We’ll miss AD while he is out, but we’ve had injuries this season, so this isn’t something new.”

That message has been a familiar refrain inside a locker room that has repeatedly been forced to absorb loss and keep moving forward.

Max Christie said the blow is significant, but the approach remains unchanged.

“Unfortunate, obviously,” Christie said. “We want to be able to have him on the floor as much as possible just because of how dominant and how good he is for us, but it’s a ‘next man up’ mentality. That’s just kind of the way the NBA works with injuries, and we just gotta be able to move past it and continue to try to win games.”

Daniel Gafford Anchors a Thinned Frontcourt

With Davis sidelined and Lively unavailable, Daniel Gafford now stands as the lone healthy pillar of the Mavericks’ primary big-man rotation. Recently reinserted into the starting lineup alongside Davis, Gafford will be asked to shoulder a larger defensive and rebounding load moving forward.

“It’s a tough blow for us,” Gafford said. “It’s just something that happened out of nowhere. Like we always say, ‘next man up’ mentality. We just gotta come in and pick up where he left off.”

Replacing Davis’ production will not be straightforward. Prior to the injury, he was averaging 20.4 points and 11.1 rebounds in 20 games, functioning as a consistent double-double threat and a stabilizing presence during key stretches.

Gafford acknowledged the challenge of maintaining perspective amid the constant setbacks.

“With us being there for each other, we always try to talk ourselves out of the dark days and try to make every day sunny,” he said. “It’s a long season. Injuries are going to happen. There’s gonna be a lot of stuff we can’t control. We just have to keep playing.”

Patience as Anthony Davis Weighs His Options

The Mavericks announced Friday that Davis sustained ligament damage in his left hand and is seeking multiple opinions regarding treatment. Kidd said patience will be essential as Davis determines his next steps.

“‘Patience’ is the key word here,” Kidd said. “He’s [Anthony Davis] got to make a decision on what he wants to do, and for us as an organization we have to continue to keep playing the games as scheduled. At some point he’ll make a decision of what he’s going to do.”

The injury occurred late in Thursday’s loss to Utah, when Jazz center Lauri Markkanen made aggressive contact as Davis drove to the basket and scored. Davis remained in the game briefly but was visibly in pain. After a subsequent timeout with 2:08 remaining, he went to the locker room and did not return.

Reflecting afterward, Kidd pointed to the sequence as a lesson.

“I think the smart play is to just take the foul,” Kidd said. “That’s what we should have done. … As a coach, he said he was fine, and I thought he was fine.”

Leadership Beyond the Box Score

Davis’ hand injury adds to a long list of setbacks this season, including multiple absences related to calf and adductor issues. Even so, his presence around the team has remained steady — something Christie said continues to matter.

“He does a good job of never getting too high and never getting too low,” Christie said. “His presence around us, even when he’s not on the floor, is great. I know my teammates appreciate him being around, providing leadership, and continuing to be that guy for us.”

As the Mavericks prepare for an extended stretch without one of their foundational players, the path forward is uncertain. What remains constant is the approach — lean on each other, absorb the hit, and keep going.

For a team that has already endured so much, adjusting again is not new. It is simply the next test.

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