The Mavericks are giving no thought to shelving any of Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II or Daniel Gafford for the rest of the season, according to Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News. If any or all of the three currently injured big men are able to return while the Mavericks are mathematically in the play-in/postseason hunt, they’ll play.
This is interesting, because a recent report suggested that it might be in Dallas’s best interests to preserve those players for the long run since the rest of the team is also decimated due to injury.
“We know how good we can be when everyone’s healthy,” guard Dante Exum said. “But that’s one of the big things about the NBA: timing. Timing is everything. Runs and staying healthy during the season and going into playoffs, that’s a big part, and it’s something that we’re gonna have to figure out, quick.”
Davis is dealing with an adductor strain and Lively is recovering from a stress fracture. Both players, as we wrote, are on track to make their returns before the end of the season, if that’s the path the organization and players agree to. Gafford is recovering from an MCL sprain. His original six-week recovery timeline would have him back toward the end of the month/beginning of next month, but there’s a sense he might be a little further off.
Outside of their trio of big men, Kyrie Irving and Olivier-Maxence Prosper are among the players dealing with long-term or season-ending injuries.
We have more injury notes from around the league:
- Jaren Jackson Jr. might be nearing a return for the Grizzlies, as he was upgraded to questionable for Friday’s injury report against the Cavaliers, according to Damichael Cole of Memphis Commercial Appeal. The Grizzlies have gone 4-1 without Jackson, but his return will be a welcome one for a Grizzlies team with high playoff aspirations. Jackson’s been week-to-week with an ankle sprain.
- Domantas Sabonis hasn’t suited up for the Kings since March 1, but he was upgraded to questionable ahead of the team’s Thursday game against the Warriors, according to Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link). He’s dealing with a hamstring injury. However, Sabonis was ruled out just before the game, per Anderson. Still, it’s a positive sign to see Sabonis was upgraded at all before the game and he’s likely soon to make his return.
- Lakers center Jaxson Hayes and forward Rui Hachimura left the team’s road trip to return to L.A. alongside LeBron James due to injuries, Dave McMenamin of ESPN tweets. Both Hayes and Hachimura are suffering from knee injuries. They, along with James, are all considered day-to-day, according to McMenamin. We previously wrote about James’ injury here.
- Sixers guard Lonnie Walker IV was diagnosed with a concussion on Thursday morning, according to PHLY Sports’ Kyle Neubeck (Twitter link). He hit his head on the court on Wednesday against Toronto. Walker entered the NBA’s concussion protocol and will be evaluated daily moving forward.