LeBron James and Anthony Davis are arguably the most deadly duo in the NBA and we saw that when the Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA Championship in 2020. While LeBron won the NBA Finals MVP, Davis was having a truly historical postseason up until that point, even hitting the most memorable shot from that run.
Last season was not as successful for either superstar or the team. The Lakers were bounced in the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs after Davis suffered an injury in Game 4 against the Phoenix Suns.
The Suns had no answer for the size and skill of the Lakers while Davis was healthy. However, without Davis, the team did not have enough chemistry to survive and get by to give Davis a chance to play deeper in the playoffs.
That has been one of the biggest storylines around Davis his entire career. Davis certainly has an injury history and has picked up the injury-prone tag along the way. It does not matter how good someone is. If they cannot stay healthy then they don’t impact the team, right?
Laker fans know how talented Davis is and don’t need to be reminded. The rest of the league, however, has been put on notice by LeBron James — who is excited to see what Davis can do this upcoming season.
LeBron on Anthony Davis- "It's not about proving other people wrong it's about proving himself right....and I'm looking forward to a very angry Anthony Davis" via @SpectrumSN
— Trevor Lane (@Trevor_Lane) September 28, 2021
An angry Anthony Davis. We love to hear it.
Anthony Davis is primed for a massive season for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Anthony Davis is just hitting his athletic prime in the NBA and should be considered a legitimate MVP candidate. While LeBron is the face of the team, this season has all the makings of being a truly elite one for Davis.
First of all, his defense is going to be showcased even more than it typically is. Davis is going to have to play more center with Russell Westbrook in town and even if it is only a few extra minutes at the five per game, it will help showcase his defensive versatility.
There is going to naturally be a bit of voter’s fatigue on Giannis Antetokounmpo, opening the door for Davis to win the Defensive Player of the Year award.
If he is already the best defensive player in the league then he just has to be one of the best offensive players to win the award, right? Not only is that achievable, but Davis very well could put together a career stat line this season.
LeBron James is going to have a lesser workload this season, that is why the team brought in Russell Westbrook. And while Westbrook seemingly will take some of the scoring off of Davis’ plate that likely won’t be the case. If anything, I would suspect that Westbrook helps Davis score more with his drive and kick facilitating.
The Lakers are also pretty thin at the four, giving Davis more reasons to play a good chunk of minutes. With LeBron taking a lesser role and Westbrook being the worse of the two players, the Los Angeles Lakers are going to be tasking Anthony Davis to be the best player on the team.
And with Davis being angry, chances are he has a fantastic season to prove himself right.