With LeBron James, the Los Angeles Lakers have the means to compete against any team in the league. But if the 17x champs really want to make the most of this upcoming campaign, they are going to need more from Anthony Davis.
As a brilliant scorer and elite defender, Davis has the talent to lift the Lakers into title contention. But after missing over half the games last season, the big man is facing a lot of questions about his health and durability going forward.
One anonymous source even pegged the superstar as ‘inconsistent’ when reflecting on his time with the Lakeshow.
NBA Source Calls Lakers Big Man Anthony Davis ‘Inconsistent’ After Years Of Injury Battles
NBA insider says Anthony Davis was very inconsistent in the last few years, missing games left and right due to various different injuries. The Lakers will need him to be healthy if they want a shot at making some noise in the playoffs this year.
“He’s been more inconsistent than consistent, outside of his play in the bubble,” said the source.
Davis shot just 18.6 percent from three-point range last year and 26.0 percent in 2020-21. Westbrook hit 29.8 percent in his lone season with the Lakers.
“Individually, they’re three elite talents, but how exactly can Ham space the floor around LeBron with two non-shooters in huge roles?” a league executive asked.
When healthy, Anthony Davis is one of the best players in basketball. Over his 10-year career, he has averaged 23.8 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game on 53.2% shooting. He proved already that he could lead a team to a title, and he intends to do it again next June.
As for his role, it is no secret that head coach Darvin Ham will make him a focus of the offense.
It seems as though new coach Darvin Ham will give Anthony Davis the opportunity to be the focal point of the Lakers’ offense. A report by Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports revealed that this is the “one wrinkle” that Darvin Ham will “implement and stick with”, adding that the franchise believes Anthony Davis will be “in optimum shape to avoid serious injuries and carry a heavier load”.
“Furthermore, the first-year head coach said one wrinkle he will implement and stick with is having the offense run through Anthony Davis, and James concurred, sources said. The team has been encouraged with Davis’ offseason progression and believe he’ll be in optimum shape to avoid serious injuries and carry a heavier load.”
It can be easy to overlook Anthony Davis, considering how much time he has missed over the past few years. As the Lakers have struggled, he has been forced to watch from the sidelines.
But if he can stay healthy and show up consistently, L.A. could be in for a huge basketball season. We will find out soon enough how it all plays out.
