The

Dallas Mavericks

have been through a challenging season, with injuries and a series of tough decisions by the front office casting a shadow over the team's success. Amid this turmoil, the Mavericks could have easily been written off. However, star forward/center Anthony Davis, who has been plagued by injury, has become a beacon of hope for the squad, has made his highly anticipated return, which sparked response from his teammates.

Anthony Davis, who suffered a serious adductor strain earlier in the season, could have easily opted to shut it down and take the rest of the year off. Instead, his decision to push through the pain and make his return to the court has sparked a renewed sense of determination among his teammates. After last week’s return, Davis played against the Brooklyn Nets tonight.
Mavericks center

Daniel Gafford

, who is also recovering from an injury, expressed his admiration for Davis' commitment to the team. “First off, it's just the love of the game, for sure...to come back and just make an impact for the team, that says a lot about him because he wants to be out there helping the team as much as he can,” Gafford said.

Despite their current position as the 9-seed in the playoff race, sitting at 37-38, the Mavericks are determined to stay in the hunt for postseason success.
The trade that brought Davis to the Mavericks from the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Luka Doncic raised many questions. One of the most pressing concerns was Davis’ health, given his injury history and the fact that he had to deal with a re-aggravation of his adductor strain right after the trade.
Reflecting on his decision to rush back to play in his first game as a Maverick, Davis admitted in an interview with Andscape that he would have approached his recovery differently if given the chance. “If I could do it over, I would probably take a couple more days. When the trade happened, I was on my way to come back against possibly the Clippers with the Lakers [on Feb. 4],” Davis explained. “But when the trade happened, you got to leave and go to the next city, go through your physical...I probably would’ve taken a couple more days, looking back at it.”
Also Read: "It's so frustrating right now": Anthony Davis reveals real reason behind his return to Dallas Mavericks after crushing abdominal injury
The Mavs, however, are yet to recover as a team as they have faced another crushing defeat 113-109 against the Nets in their home ground, American Airlines Center in Dallas. Davis played 28 minutes to score 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. Gafford led the Mavs with 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists. Evidently, Davis has to put more of his skills into action, but considering his early return, it would be quite risky, as the Mavs would not want to sideline Davis again.