With only 39 games played this season, Anthony Davis has reminded the world of his troubling NBA past.
Since being drafted in 2012, Davis has struggled to stay on the court, suffering various injuries over the years before seeing a similar scene play out in Los Angeles.
And after enduring another injury scare on Sunday, Davis finally addresses his injury-riddled history and attacked those who clown him for it.
“This is what I’ve learned about injuries: Last year when I wasn’t playing, people were saying ‘AD’s giving up on his team. It’s the playoffs. AD has to play. He’s got to play.’ And when I went out there to play, got hurt again, they said, ‘Who was his trainer? Who let him play?’
“So, what the [expletive] do you want me to do? When I play, it’s a problem. It’s a problem when I don’t play. At the end of the day, I’ve got to do what’s best for me and how my body feels. And we go from there. I’m not worried about who’s saying what or who thinks this about me because none of them have stepped on the floor and played. And the ones that did play, they should understand.
“These aren’t little ticky-tack injuries.”
As one of the most talented bigs in basketball, there is no arguing that Davis is one of the best players in the league when healthy. For his tenure in L.A. so far, he’s averaging 24.2 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game on 50% shooting.
When the Lakers traded for him in 2019, he showed his worth right away by helping lead them to a title.
Unfortunately, he has barely played since, and it could be why they’ve seen so much failure over the past two seasons. At this point, even Davis wonders what they could have been and the Lakers find themselves questioning if they should move on from him.
But whether or not the team may seriously consider trading him, Anthony Davis isn’t going to let anybody question his dedication and commitment to the game. Only something major can keep him from playing.
