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Los Angeles Lakers: 3 keys to Anthony Davis winning MVP

By Jason Reed

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MAY 15: Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers in action in the game against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on May 15, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MAY 15: Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers in action in the game against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on May 15, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers
(Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers /

1. Anthony Davis has to stay healthy

This is the most important thing to Anthony Davis putting together an MVP season and it is the reason why his odds are so low despite him being one of the most dynamic players in the league. Davis has a long injury history and that hurts his chances of winning the award.

Davis was not on pace to win the MVP award last season but his injury is still hurting his chances of winning it this year. Davis does not have the best reputation when it comes to staying healthy and last season only helped proved that true.

We saw first-hand how an injury could derail an MVP season last season. Joel Embiid was the favorite last season and then got hurt, paving way for LeBron James to be the favorite for a few weeks. James then got hurt and Nikola Jokic, despite having a great season, became the MVP frontrunner by default.

If Davis is going to win the award he is going to have to stay healthy and he is going to have to play at least 72 games. And even then that might not be enough, he might have to cross the 75-game threshold in order to escape the injury-prone narrative he has.

That might not seem like a difficult task but consider this: Anthony Davis has only played 75 games once in his career (2017-18). Heck, it was the only time in his entire career that he has played over 70 games.

To be fair, he did play 62 games in his first season with the Lakers in a season in which the team played 71 games, so he was right there when it comes to MVP workload.

Next. Predicting every game of the 2021-22 season. dark

After a year in which he did not put many miles onto his body, Davis is going to have to reach that same workload at the very least to even be considered for the award. If he doesn’t then it does not matter at all how well he plays.

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