Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard, and Paul George all got to Los Angeles in the summer of 2019. Davis had finally been traded to the Lakers after repeated attempts over the previous seasons. Kawhi won a title with Toronto and signed with the Clippers, who traded for Paul George from the OKC Thunder to give Leonard a co-star.
All three players have struggled to stay healthy through the last 3 seasons, missing a lot of time for their teams. Anthony Davis, in particular, has received nicknames like ‘Day-to-day Davis’ or ‘Street Clothes‘ because of his poor health over the last two seasons costing the Lakers an opportunity to contend.
However, since Kawhi, AD, and PG joined LA, it seems Davis is the one that has been the most available for his team. He has played in 138 games over the last three seasons, 5 more than Paul George’s 133 games played and 29 more than Kawhi’s 109 games played.
These numbers don’t entirely reflect the situation accurately. Leonard missed all of last season with an ACL tear, while Paul George missed time in his debut season and last season from different injuries. Davis hasn’t had one major injury to sideline him but keeps missing time due to sprained ankles, Achilles’ discomfort, and back injuries.
At the end of the day, Davis is the one who’s actually on the court more often than the other two. Kawhi and PG face extreme load management due to their injury pasts, and the Clippers had to give up on their progress last season because their stars weren’t available to lead them.
The Lakers are objectively better when Davis is on the floor, which is why everyone gives him such a hard time over his inconsistent health. Being teammates with LeBron James also increases the responsibility to stay healthy and contend for a title, which explains why the hate for Davis has been more intense than either star on the Clippers.
