LeBron James has been in the league for 19 years and he will soon be playing the 20th season of his NBA career. For most of his time in the NBA, James has led whichever team he has been part of.
But with him turning 38 years old in a few months, he obviously needs support from his teammates. It’s not that he’s not a good player now. In fact, he had a sensational last season when he silenced his doubters.
Despite having such a great season, the Los Angeles Lakers ended up missing the play-in tournament. A huge reason behind that was the fact that Anthony Davis wasn’t healthy for most of the season.
If the Lakers really want to make an impact next season, they need Davis to be at his sparkling best in the 2022-23 NBA season.
Vince Carter Believes Anthony Davis Needs To Take Charge Of The Lakers
As we mentioned earlier, James is still a great player, but he cannot do everything on his own. He needs Anthony Davis to take the majority of the burden in the regular season, which will allow James to focus on other aspects of his game.
This was the recipe for success for the Purple and Gold in the 2019-20 season, and the Lakers ended up winning the NBA Championship that season. Former NBA star Vince Carter believes AD needs to fulfill that role once again.
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“He is huge to this puzzle for the Lakers because LeBron can beat box office if Anthony Davis is carrying the load. LeBron doesn’t feel like he has to do it all and exert all the time like when you need a bucket, when you need it to be LeBron. But it shouldn’t have to be that every night for 82 games when you have a Anthony Davis with the potential.
I think he’s been humbled now and I think he’s hungry. I think he understands the dynamic of being a Laker. He’s been in playoff games. He understands what it takes and the level of focus and I think guys who should be in the league. I’m gonna use Carmelo, for example, who should be in the league, had to sit out. Yeah, they’re gonna respond. These guys are taking advantage of that opportunity. So I think he’ll be fine.”
Over the last two seasons, fans haven’t really seen much of Anthony Davis on the court due to injuries. Although he has still played more games than Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and Kawhi Leonard in the last three seasons, it’s clearly not enough.
As mentioned by Carter, AD is probably hungry for success now and will try his best next season. Lakers fans will certainly hope to see a more focused and, most importantly, a fit Anthony Davis next season, who can help James on the floor.
