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Los Angeles Lakers roster: Examining the center rotation

By Addam Goldman

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 03: Dwight Howard #39 of the Los Angeles Lakers fouls LaMarcus Aldridge #21 of the Brooklyn Nets during the first half of a pre-season game at Staples Center on October 3, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. 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 Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 03: Dwight Howard #39 of the Los Angeles Lakers fouls LaMarcus Aldridge #21 of the Brooklyn Nets during the first half of a pre-season game at Staples Center on October 3, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. 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 Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /
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Los Angeles Lakers
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Anthony Davis

Anthony Davis is like one of those perfect Los Angeles days where you can go out in shorts and a t-shirt and feel comfy, or you can go out in pants and a sweater and feel equally good. You could rank AD in your personal top-5 and make a solid argument about why he’s better than only a handful of players in the world. You could also place him outside your top-15 player list and make a similarly convincing argument about his limitations as an NBA player.

We know that Anthony Davis can’t drag a mediocre team into the postseason. From 2015 through 2018, AD averaged 26 PPG, 11 RPG, and 2.5 BPG. During that time, he was worth over 45 wins, yet his squad, the New Orleans Pelicans, only qualified for the playoffs twice, only winning 11 measly postseason games.

Anthony Davis isn’t like:

  • LeBron James
  • Kevin Durant
  • James Harden
  • Giannis Antentokounmpo
  • Kawhi Leonard
  • Nikola Jokic
  • Chris Paul
  • Jimmy Butler

AD doesn’t guarantee your squad a playoff berth, but he’s not the first dominant big man who has struggled to rack up wins as the number one option.

From 2015 to 2018, Boogie Cousins put up equally impressive numbers for a downtrodden Sacramento Kings organization. He averaged 26 PPG, 11 RPG, and 1.5 BPG, yet he didn’t make the playoffs once. Big men like Anthony Davis, Boogie Cousins, and probably All-Stars like Joel Embiid and Rudy Gobert don’t have the gravity to warp defenses the way players like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Kawhi Leonard do.

That’s OK, though. Anthony Davis isn’t by himself any longer. He forms the best duo in the NBA with LeBron.

Here’s what we know about Anthony Davis:

After being traded to the Lakers in 2019, he utterly dominated the league, averaging 26 PPG, 9 RPG, and over 2 BPG. He was also second in votes for the Defensive Player of the Year award, and he helped the Purple and Gold win a title.

AD came into the 2020 season, clearly worn down after the shortest offseason in NBA history. He struggled early and then missed significant time after suffering a leg injury. He finished the season with averages of 22 PPG, 8 RPG, and 1.5 BPG while shooting 26 percent from deep.

Despite:

  • Anthony Davis’s regular-season struggles.
  • LeBron James playing at 80 percent.
  • The way Dennis Schroder dogged it in the playoffs.
  • Montrezl Harrell’s lousy attitude.
  • Marc Gasol moping around the locker room.
  • Andre Drummond bumbling every pass in the lane.

The Lakers were still up 2-1 over the eventual western conference champion Phoenix Suns before Anthony Davis went down with another leg injury. If the injury bug hadn’t hit AD in the postseason, the Lakers would have beaten a physically over-matched Phoenix Suns squad on their way to the NBA finals.

Anthony Davis doesn’t guarantee his squad a date in the playoffs, but the combination of a healthy LBJ and AD promises the western conference finals at the least. We can expect a well-rested and motivated Anthony Davis to come out of the gate charging.

Next. 50 greatest Lakers of all-time. dark

I expect him to dominate the season’s early stages on offense and defense, putting up similar numbers as his first season in Hollywood. By the end of the year, he’ll be the frontrunner for the Defensive Player of the Year award, anchoring the Lakers D with his stellar three-level play.

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