When healthy, Anthony Davis is without a doubt one of the best players in the world. He is a defensive force, and offensively, he’s one of the most versatile big men in the game. The only knock on him is his durability, and he has often been criticized by analysts for missing a lot of games.
Lakers’ new head coach Darvin Ham has recently claimed that the Los Angeles Lakers will need Anthony Davis to be consistent and healthy, pointing out that everyone’s seen “what can happen” when he’s healthy and dominating. An article from The Athletic relayed the news.
“He’s the key,” Ham said. “We’ve all seen what can happen when he’s healthy and playing at a high level. … We need consistency out of Anthony Davis. We need him to be healthy, we need him to be in a good mental space and we need him to be as consistent as possible to be back to playing at that championship level.”
There’s no doubt that the Los Angeles Lakers need Anthony Davis to produce like a superstar if they are to become championship contenders once again. That means consistently suiting up. Anthony Davis has previously admitted that when he’s healthy, he’s “a motherf***er”, but added that he has to “stay healthy”.
“My job is to be on the basketball floor and play games,” Davis said. “When I’m healthy, I’m a motherf—er. But I got to stay healthy. Unfortunately it was two injuries I couldn’t control this year but I’ll be back at it next year and see what happens.”
Davis missed 17 straight games from late December until late January after suffering an MCL sprain in his left knee. Then in mid-February, he had the foot injury, causing him to miss 18 straight games.
Hopefully, we see Anthony Davis get his health right and dominate once again next season. The Los Angeles Lakers missed the playoffs this year, and it’s clear that they need Anthony Davis to step up next year.
Darvin Ham’s hiring definitely changes a lot for the Los Angeles Lakers, and perhaps we’ll see them do better next season. They could definitely get back to the playoffs, but it’s unclear if they’ll get back to championship-winning ways.
