Anthony Davis believes playing for the Mavericks makes his job easier than with the Lakers

For much of his tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers, Anthony Davis was tasked with playing center, a position he never truly favored. He repeatedly expressed his preference for power forward, but the team often needed him in the middle. Now with the Dallas Mavericks, Davis is finally getting to play where he feels most comfortable, thanks to the presence of true centers like Dereck Lively and Daniel Gafford.

Davis’ first game alongside Lively in Dallas came in the Mavericks’ recent 120-118 win over the Hawks. With Lively handling the center duties, Davis thrived at power forward and was vocal about how much easier the adjustment has made his role.

“It makes my job easier, as far as defensively, I’m able to roam and just kinda be like the free safety. Just kinda help everybody on the floor,” Davis said in a post-game interview. “A lot easier for me. Less stress as far as guarding every pick and roll, being in every pick and roll. It was good to have one of those guys with me on the floor at all times”.

Davis also pointed to a previous matchup as an example of the team’s potential when fully healthy. “We saw a little bit of it in the Houston game,” he said. “We know how dominant we can be when we are all healthy and available. It’s just about us going out there and enforcing our dominance”. The position shift has already paid off for Davis, who dominated the Hawks with 34 points, 15 rebounds, and five blocks in the win.

Anthony Davis (R) #3 and Daniel Gafford #21 of the Dallas Mavericks celebrate together after a score during the second quarter against the Brooklyn Nets. (Sam Hodde/Getty Images)

Davis on Lively’s impact

Lively made his return for the Mavericks after being sidelined since January with an ankle injury. Though he played just 16 minutes and finished with four points and five rebounds, Davis was impressed with his skill set.

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“Very skilled. He’s only gonna continue to get better,” Davis said of Lively. “He’s always asking me about certain moves and how to read the floor on offense and defense, and I’m happy just that I’ve kinda taken him under my wing to teach him some stuff, actually learned under Tyson (Chandler)… He’s gonna be a great player in this league. He wants to get better, he wants to be great”.

Mavericks getting back on track

The Mavericks have battled through injuries all season but are slowly regaining key players as they push for a spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament. Currently sitting ninth in the Western Conference with a 38-39 record, Dallas is hoping to make a late-season push despite missing Kyrie Irving, who won’t return until next season.

However, the recent recoveries of Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively, and Daniel Gafford have given head coach Jason Kidd some much-needed reinforcements down the stretch.