Dallas Mavericks star Anthony Davis' motivations for the rest of this season have been revealed. The headline addition for the Mavs in the controversial Luka Doncic trade may not have gaudy stats with his new team, but Dallas is 5-1 with Davis in the lineup. Even with Kyrie Irving out for the season, this team still has aspirations.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst broke down the several major motivations AD still has going into this postseason on NBA Today.

“I think what you’re seeing from AD is that he’s motivated by four different things. He’s motivated to send a message to the fans. He’s motivated to send a message to his teammates that this is something he’s invested in. And he’s motivated to do something for Nico Harrison, the guy he’s known for decades. The guy who believed in him to make this trade. He wants to have his back as much as he can. And he wants to do it for himself, he wants to show everybody and himself he can still be the centerpiece of a franchise.”

The Mavericks still have the chance to be a very dangerous team in the postseason

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This franchise may not reach its lofty championship-sized goals this season with Kyrie Irving out. But this group can be a very tough out in the Western Conference playoffs. Still, it will take some work to get into the eight-team field of the first round. Dallas is currently the ninth seed in the West at 38-39 and is in no position to move up from that spot. If anything, this team needs to be careful about the 36-40 Sacramento Kings from passing them. Getting homecourt for that single-elimination No. 9 seed vs No. 10 matchup is essential.

From there, Dallas will likely have to face a team at least ten games over .500 on the road. That could be the Minnesota Timbewolves, Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Clippers, or even the Golden State Warriors. Even teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets, with a last-season slide, could find themselves in this position.

Overall, seeing what Anthony Davis has in store for the postseason will be interesting. This season has been a major disappointment for the Mavericks so far, but this franchise still has a chance to be competitive in 2025. To do so it's going to take one of the greatest power forwards ever to play like the top-five talent he's capable of being.