In the 2021-22 NBA season, the only bright side about the Los Angeles Lakers has been the amazing performances by LeBron James. Despite turning 37-years-old, James is still carrying the team on his back and the entire team is dependent on him.
Even with James’ elite games, the Lakers are still having a losing record as they are currently 24-25 and hold the 9th seed in the Western Conference. While the purple and gold have a chance of winning games with LeBron in the mix, without him even that seems impossible.
It was quite evident in the team’s latest matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers. LBJ was rested for this game due to a sore knee and unsurprisingly the Lakers were no match for the 76ers.
This led to fans wondering if the team is a tad bit too dependent on James. Well, Davis was asked this question after the game. He spoke freely about missing the presence of LeBron on the hardwood.
But at the same time, Davis believes this is the perfect time for the team to see where they are without James on the court.
Via ESPN:
“He’s a big part of what we’re trying to do. It sucks not having him but it gives us a chance to see what we have without him. We definitely want to take advantage of these moments.”
As AD mentioned, it is a good time for the team to take advantage of these moments. If the Lakers enter the postseason, they will need more than one player on whom they can depend to win them games.
When LeBron is sidelined, such opportunities rise for other players to stand up and help the team win games. Davis did try to do so in this game as he scored 31 points and also grabbed 12 rebounds in the game.
But in the process, it seems like Davis has once again injured himself as he spoke about having a little soreness in his wrist after the game.
This is the last thing that the purple and gold need at this point in the season. If both AD and LBJ are sidelined, it will be a repeat of the previous season.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7uywB10pKA
