The Los Angeles Lakers are once again going to pin a large chunk of offensive responsibility on the weakened knees of power forward Anthony Davis. While his debut season in Los Angeles was magnificent, the last two years have been marred by constant injury problems.
Last year proved that an all-time great scoring season from LeBron James is not going to be enough to keep this team in the contender hunt. With more bad vibes emanating from Russell Westbrook, it’s incumbent on Davis to come to the arena ready to impose his will night in and night out.
Naturally, some fans and members of the front office may have lost confidence in Davis’ ability to answer the call. The best ability is availability, and owner Jeanie Buss is well aware of the dangers that Davis’ body presents if he takes a downward turn.
Appearing on “The Rich Eisen Show,” Buss said that the Lakers need to make sure Davis stays healthy. Buss also inferred that Davis needs to “listen to his workout coach his doctors.” That wasn’t spoken like an owner who is confident that Davis can play more than 70 games for the first time since the 2017-18 season.
Will Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis stay healthy?
Davis has played in just 76 games during the past two seasons. While he has been averaging an exceptional 23.2 points and 9.9 rebounds per game in that span, those numbers are sharp declines from what he produced during his title-winning debut season with LA.
The Westbrook situation remains a minefield, as a trade has not materialized and his role on the team is unclear. James is going to give LA everything he’s got, but he is the furthest thing from a sure bet, given his age. How long is this unprecedented production going to keep up?
At the very least. Davis looks like he’ll be in for another borderline All-Star season after dominating in the preseason. Just a few rebounds away from averaging a double-double in just under 22 minutes per game, a healthy AD will be a game-changer for this team. He appears to be healthy for the season opener.
Anthony Davis in preseason:
— StatMuse (@statmuse) October 13, 2022
— 19 PPG
— 9 RPG
In under 22 MPG. pic.twitter.com/MupXM3qfzh
No one would fault Buss for having concerns about Davis and his health, as he was the guy LA pegged to be the centerpiece of the team once LeBron departed. AD can shut up all of those doubters by soldering on and playing in a respectable number of games during an LA playoff run.
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