After one good game against the OKC Thunder, the Dallas Mavericks have stumbled again. They fell short against the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night. Several of their superstars looked sluggish and lackluster, especially Anthony Davis. However, Cooper Flagg was not one of them. This season’s No. 1 pick finished the game with 11 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, and 3 steals in just 24 minutes of action. But despite a good game, Flagg revealed an issue faced during the game while addressing the media.

The rookie admitted that his on-court chemistry with Anthony Davis may have played a role in the team’s first preseason loss. Although the pair flashed moments of promise, including a highlight-reel alley-oop from Flagg to Davis, the connection remains a work in progress. The former Duke standout acknowledged as much, emphasizing the need to better complement Davis’ game and the areas the two can work on.

While chatting with the reporters during the postgame presser, Flagg mentioned the issue he’s been facing while playing with Davis. “I think it’s been huge. I think team-wise, just getting a feel, it’s a different game. Different spacing…I have to find ways to help AD more, play off him a little better, help him impact the game when he’s posting up, getting his isos and whatnot, so I got to find a way to help him a little bit more…” He said.

Cooper Flagg’s remarks reflected his awareness of the adjustment required to play alongside a star like Anthony Davis. But if someone has to step up to get it done, the Mavs head coach. Jason Kidd needs to work around this so that two-star players can be used to help each other. Well, both AD and Cooper Flagg have had the entire summer to build a certain level of chemistry, and although it might not be perfect just yet, it will be with a bit more playing time together. But laxity isn’t an option.

Nonetheless, while the youngster figures out a way to help out Anthony Davis, it seems like the veteran isn’t himself, as calls to trade him away after just one season in Dallas seem to be piling up pretty quickly.

Trade calls mount on Anthony Davis after his recent preseason performance

Although the regular season is yet to start, it seems like the Dallas Mavericks supporters aren’t happy with Anthony Davis, especially after his performance last night. The veteran forward looked nowhere near his best against the Hornets. In 24 minutes of action, even though AD put up a respectable 12 points along with 4 rebounds and an assist, he looked slow. Even Klay Thompson had 14 points playing just 21 minutes. Davis struggled big time while defending, as he ended the night with the worst +/- among the starters at -24.

This terrible performance by his standards raised quite a few eyebrows, with several fans urging the franchise to trade Anthony Davis.  NBA insider Trevor Lane also shared similar sentiments. The reporter revealed that AD looked slow and sluggish on Saturday night because he had gained around 15 lbs during the offseason. “AD’s superpower is supposed to be that he can defend on the interior and out on the perimeter. And he was getting jumpers rained on him all game long,” Lane said.

The same reason Luka Doncic was shown the exit doors, as per reports and sources. So if the star of the franchise faces the axe, Davis surely doesn’t get much sympathy from the North Texas fans. “Part of that was simply great shooting by the Charlotte Hornets, but part of it was again Anthony Davis did look a bit sluggish,” Lane further added.

Lane further asserted the fact that the Mavs fans have every right to be upset at Davis’ unprofessional behaviour after he showed up overweight at the training camp. In fact, he even pointed out that with Cooper Flagg’s arrival, there’s no doubt that the franchise will be structuring the roster around him, and if Davis doesn’t complement the young forward, his days might be limited.

Now, even though it might sound too much, given that it was just a preseason game, Davis needs to do much better. Moreover, it’s safe to say that he needs to show that he’s willing to give everything on the court. Now, will this uproar from the fans and analysts prompt Anthony Davis to switch things up from the next game onwards? That’s something we can only wait and watch, as the Mavericks gear up for what’s supposed to be a huge campaign for the franchise.