Anthony Davis is not usually the loudest voice in a room. This week, he decided to change that. Davis made two very bold predictions for the 2026-27 NBA season, and both of them tell you where his head is at as a member of the Dallas Mavericks.
Prediction one, he thinks the Mavericks are going to win the Western Conference. Prediction two, he thinks he is going to be back in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation. Both are aggressive. Both are also defensible if you squint.
The Mavericks are a team most analysts are still trying to figure out. They traded Luka Doncic to the Lakers in one of the most shocking deals in NBA history. That trade brought Davis to Dallas. Then Davis dealt with early-season injury issues that pushed the Mavericks out of playoff contention for chunks of the year.
Now Davis is healthy, or so he says. The team has re-tooled around him. Kyrie Irving is back. Dereck Lively II is developing into a legitimate NBA center. PJ Washington is a reliable defender and shooter. Cooper Flagg, the Mavs’ No. 1 overall pick, is a foundational piece who could contribute immediately.
Winning the West is a big claim in a conference that includes the defending-champion Oklahoma City Thunder, the Nuggets with Jokic, the Rockets with a mature Alperen Sengun, the Timberwolves with Anthony Edwards, and whatever new-look Warriors team Steve Kerr puts together. And that is before you consider what a healthy Wembanyama does to the West.
The Defensive Player of the Year claim is more grounded. When Davis is healthy and engaged, he is one of the best interior defenders in the sport. He led the league in blocks in previous seasons. His combination of rim protection, switchability, and rebounding makes him a legitimate DPOY candidate in any year where he plays 65-plus games.
The problem, always, is that Davis is rarely healthy for 65 games. His injury history is well-documented. He has averaged fewer than 60 games played in recent seasons. The 65-game rule for postseason awards essentially requires him to be more available than he has ever been.
What is different this year is the age of the roster around him. Flagg is a rookie. Lively is young. Josh Green is young. Davis is the veteran. That responsibility, at 32, might actually be good for him. Leaders tend to show up for games.
The prediction that will get the most attention is the Western Conference one. Davis knows he needs to say it out loud. The Mavericks franchise has been in an identity crisis since the Doncic trade. The fanbase has been split between excitement about Flagg and grief about Luka. Davis is trying to give them something to believe in.
Whether either prediction comes true is a different question. The West is a bloodbath. Health is not guaranteed. And the Mavericks still need Kyrie to be Kyrie for 70 games, which has its own uncertainty.
But you cannot fault Davis for the confidence. Star players are supposed to think this way. It is a good sign that the guy Dallas built around actually believes in the vision.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
