With the Lakers’ playoff hopes teetering on the edge of death, Anthony Davis is the only one who can keep the team afloat.
With LeBron’s health compromised, and a slew of inconsistent teammates, Davis is the guy who will make or break the Purple and Gold.
According to ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins, however, there’s more than this season’s playoff hopes on the line for AD over these next few weeks.
“We’re talking about a guy that is 30 years old, that is in his prime, that is averaging 25 and 12, that is not only trying to show the world he can carry a team this season and lead them into the postseason, but I believe that he is still auditioning for the Los Angeles Lakers to see if [he can] put the franchise in his hands… remember, a few years ago we had Anthony Davis in the same conversation as Giannis Antetokounmpo.”
.@KendrickPerkins says there is more pressure on Anthony Davis to make a run, not LeBron 👀
"I believe that he is still auditioning for the Los Angeles Lakers to see if [he can] put the franchise in his hands." pic.twitter.com/DHAO3kKkTB
— First Take (@FirstTake) March 27, 2023
Davis has shown flashes of his best this season, at one point going on a tear that had the entire league buzzing. Nowadays, he’s cooled off a bit and continued a string of inconsistent play with 15 points and 9 rebounds against the Chicago Bulls.
Obviously, the Lakers need more from Davis if they want to make a run this year. Beyond that, however, they’ll need even more from him as LeBron James continues his slow decline.
Can AD Take The Mantle As Leader Of The Lakers?
At this point, we all know what AD can do on the court. Now, the Lakers need him to take the reigns from LeBron and become the leader that can rally his squad to dominance.
LeBron is back in the lineup now, but Davis’ willingness to play aggressively helped them stay afloat while his co-star was healing.
“Any time you are playing with another star anywhere and that guy goes out,” said Davis. “As much as you try to isolate and not put much pressure on yourself, everybody’s looking for you to fill those shoes. Everyone’s looking at me like, ‘okay AD, we need you to carry us until we are able to get whole again now.'”
Ultimately, if AD fails to prove he’s a guy the Lakers can build around, they could look to trade him down the road to start fresh and tread in a completely new direction.
It’s an unlikely scenario as it stands now, but the pressure is surely mounting for Davis, who has had multiple chances already to take control of the Lakers.
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