The Los Angeles Lakers need everything they can get from Anthony Davis if they are to make any sort of run this year. In fact, before opening night, Lakers coach JJ Redick personally challenged Davis to try and win the MVP with his best season yet.
Melissa Rohlin: “Anthony Davis has obviously opened up this season playing MVP-caliber basketball. What talks did you have with him heading into the season about how you want him to approach things?”
JJ Redick: “To win the MVP.”
Redick, a former NBA sharpshooter, is in his first season as head coach and there have been some major growing pains. Since taking over from Darvin Ham, Redick has been learning on the fly and he’s still actively figuring out how to bring the most out of his players.
In the first few weeks of this new season, Redick has watched the Lakers make countless mistakes on both ends of the floor but they’ve managed to stay afloat in the standings for various reasons. As their leader and best player on both ends, Anthony Davis has been the one beacon of light in an otherwise underwhelming season.
So far this season, Davis is having his best stretch as a Laker with averages of 32.4 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game on 56.9% shooting. He’s been the leader on both ends of the floor for the Lakers, especially on defense where he ranks as one of the best players in the NBA.
Great performances are nothing new for Davis but he’s never seriously been in the MVP conversation. Whether due to injuries, poor team standing, or being outplayed by other stars, Anthony Davis has yet to be named the MVP of any season but we are seeing a different version of him this season.
Coach Redick has made it a point to make Davis the focal point of the offense and that means feeding him the ball both in the post and on the perimeter, where he averages 1.9 shot attempts per game. Thanks to screens and play calls, the Lakers have gotten better at getting their shooters open and it’s helped to free up the interior for Davis to work.
Of course, whether or not Davis wins the MVP this season depends on a number of factors. First, he’ll have to stay healthy (at least 65 games) to even qualify for the award and that will be a tough ask given his extensive injury history.
For Davis to win MVP, the Lakers will also have to be somewhere within the top 6 in the West and that will be a major challenge given the current state of the Western Conference.
With several early MVP candidates on the board already, including Donovan Mitchell, Jayson Tatum, Nikola Jokic, and Kevin Durant, Davis is fighting some massive odds to win his first MVP this season. But if he plays well enough and the Lakers can put up a decent fight in the West, Davis may be forced into the MVP conversation along with some of the league’s other top players.
Statistically, Davis is more than deserving of the honor but it remains to be seen if he can sustain his dominance for any lengthy stretch of time.
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