After off-season surgery to repair a detached retina, Mavericks big man Anthony Davis will finally wear protective eyewear this upcoming season. Davis will have to wear protective eyewear for the rest of his career, according to a mandate from Davis’ doctor.
Davis initially suffered the injury when catching a stray elbow from teammate Daniel Gafford back in March. Davis played through the injury, leading the depleted post-Luka trade Mavericks to the play-in tournament, where the Mavericks beat the Kings but then lost to Memphis for the eighth and final seed in the Western Conference. Davis then had the surgery this Summer.
This is a tricky injury, and Davis has suffered numerous eye injuries throughout his career, as he decided not to wear protective eyewear during his time with the Lakers. It sounds like this last injury was the final straw, and while Davis isn’t happy about it, he’ll have to do it to keep the rest of his career as healthy as possible. There were reports in the last month that Davis might not be ready for training camp, but both coach Jason Kidd and Davis confirmed on Monday that Davis will be a full-go when practice starts Tuesday.
It didn’t immediately look like that, as Davis showed up for his media availability with redness in the recovering eye. Davis said he feels and sees just fine, and the redness is a side effect from eye drops he needs to take as part of his recovery.
The Mavericks start preseason play next week against the Oklahoma City Thunder, playing at Dickies Arena in downtown Fort Worth.