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Anthony Davis simply can’t be the future franchise player of the Lakers

By Jason Reed

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 16: Talen Horton-Tucker #5 and head coach Frank Vogel of the Los Angeles Lakers check up on Anthony Davis #3 after an injury during the second quarter against the Utah Jazz at Crypto.com Arena on February 16, 2022 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 Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 16: Talen Horton-Tucker #5 and head coach Frank Vogel of the Los Angeles Lakers check up on Anthony Davis #3 after an injury during the second quarter against the Utah Jazz at Crypto.com Arena on February 16, 2022 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 Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) /
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Without Anthony Davis, the Los Angeles Lakers would not have won the NBA Championship in 2020. Davis was the best player on the team during the playoff run (despite losing Finals MVP to LeBron James) and turned in a historic playoff performance on both ends on the floor that ranks among the greatest of all time.

Davis’s .284 win shares per 48 minutes in the 2020 playoffs ranks seventh in NBA history among players with at least 500 minutes played in one playoff run. The five players ahead of him are LeBron James (2009), Michael Jordan (1991, 1996), Wilt Chamberlain (1964), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1974) and Bill Russell (1965). You could make the case that those five are the five greatest players in league history.

There is no denying that when he is at his best, Anthony Davis is one of the best players in the NBA. Currently 28 years old, Davis made perfect sense to be the superstar that the team brings in to compete with LeBron James that can then carry the torch in LA after LeBron retires. Obviously, he was not homegrown, but it would be similar to Kobe Bryant having two championships windows with the Lakers.

However, the Los Angeles Lakers can no longer trust Anthony Davis to be that franchise player.

There is no refuting Davis’s ability but there is one thing that can easily be brought into question: his ability to stay healthy. Davis just suffered yet another ankle injury against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night, adding to his already extensive injury history as an NBA player.

A big man of Davis’s size who is already getting injured at his rate is not going to age well in the league. LeBron James aged well because of his durability. If Davis is battling injuries in his mid-to-late 20s then he is going to deal with even more problems when he gets older and his play starts to regress.

It does not matter how good he is when he is at his best, the Lakers cannot comfortably rely on him to be the face of the franchise if they are not even sure if he can play 75% of the games in the regular season.

And let’s be honest, Davis is not the kind of superstar that is even going 100% in these regular-season games. He is someone who turns it on when it matters, but for most of the regular season, is going at 80%… and still getting hurt.

This is nothing against Davis personally it is just the fact of the matter. This does not mean that the Lakers should simply punt on Davis and trade him for assets but the team needs to make sure it finds a star that can be the franchise guy.

Davis cannot be that guy. He has the talent to be the no. 1 guy on the team but the Lakers are not going to win a championship if he is the best player. Look at how much success he had in New Orleans being the no. 1 guy. Sure, the talent around him wasn’t great, but he could have won more than one playoff series while there.

Look at how the Lakers played when LeBron James wasn’t healthy and Davis was, both this season and last season. Davis was unable to carry the load as the guy, which is why his partnership with LeBron has been so good for him.

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If the Lakers are going to win more championships with Anthony Davis once LeBron leaves or retires then they are going to have to convince another star that is better than Davis to come to LA.

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