Anthony Davis Sends Loud Message in Dallas Debut: Still One of NBA’s Most Dominant Forces When Fully Healthy and Engaged

Say what you want about Anthony Davis. Criticize his injury history. Question his motor. Debate his consistency. But one thing remains crystal clear—when healthy and locked in, Anthony Davis is one of the most dominant basketball players on the planet.

The basketball world has had a love-hate relationship with AD since his rise from a wiry phenom at Kentucky to an NBA superstar. The former No. 1 overall pick has had his fair share of doubters, but he’s also had moments that remind everyone why he was once considered a generational talent. And now, as he begins a new chapter in Dallas, Davis seems ready to silence every critic all over again.

The trade that sent Luka Dončić to Los Angeles in exchange for Davis and assets shook the foundation of the Mavericks franchise. Fans were stunned. Analysts were skeptical. Why move on from a 25-year-old MVP candidate in his prime for a 32-year-old with a lengthy injury history?

The answer is simple: upside and defense.

In today’s NBA, unicorns don’t come around often. Anthony Davis, when locked in, is that unicorn. A player who can guard all five positions, anchor a defense, switch onto guards, protect the rim like a fortress, and drop 30 points on the other end with a silky mid-range jumper and ferocious dunks.

Kendrick Perkins, a former big man himself and now a vocal analyst, summed it up perfectly on ESPN’s NBA Today: “We forget how special and dominant AD can look