The Los Angeles Lakers traded Anthony Davis to get Luka Doncic, and there are no regrets because AD is the same player fans remember. He is still a superstar capable of changing the game at both ends of the floor. AD wants to play the four, despite it not being his best position and has a lengthy injury history. There are moments where Davis looks like the MVP and others where fans wish he was more assertive in getting to his spots.
AD was LeBron James’ co-star on the Lakers for five and a half seasons. He was a four-time All-Star in Los Angeles. He made two All-Defensive teams and earned two All-NBA honors with the Lakers. It would have been more, but Davis topped 65 games just once in that six-year stretch. He only qualified for awards twice because the 65-game rule didn’t start until the 2023-24 season.
The Wizards are playing AD at the four in his first year in Washington. He is making a massive impact on both ends of the floor, but has been better playing center. Davis missed his first game on Friday night with a sprained ankle is the player everyone in LA remembers.
Anthony Davis is still a two-way force
AD is averaging 23.4 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.1 blocks in 33.0 minutes per game through eight contests. He is shooting 50 percent from the field and a surprising 35.0 percent on his 3-point attempts. It is a small sample size, but Washington is 4-4 with Davis in the lineup.
His rebounding and blocks are down, but that shouldn’t be a surprise. The boards are back to the levels of when he played power forward for the Lakers. His shot-blocking is more concerning. AD has never averaged below 1.6 blocks per game for a full season.
Even at the four, Davis is a two-way force. The Wizards have a 111.0 defensive rating and a plus-1.9 net rating with AD on the floor. They are 6.0 points per 100 possessions better with Davis.
The 33-year-old big man is the Wizards' best player since John Wall. They have waited years to get a true superstar on their roster. Davis was drawing MVP chants from the crowd in the nation’s capital on opening night. He is still special and has restored hope for the Wizards faithful.
Wizards look like a playoff team with Anthony Davis
Washington was 4-4 with AD and was tenth in defensive rating. That was good enough to be eighth in the Eastern Conference before Friday’s loss to the Hawks without Davis. Washington gave up a season-high 139 points and let Atlanta shoot 53 percent from the field without All-Star Jalen Johnson.
The Lakers went 55-64 when AD was out of the lineup in his five full seasons with the franchise. They won a championship, made two conference finals, and four playoff appearances with Davis. Los Angeles still managed to win just 46.2 percent of their games without him.
The Wizards found out how much more difficult life is without AD on Friday night. The Hawks held the lead throughout Friday's NBA Cup battle. Washington needs Davis healthy if they want to make the playoffs. They say the rebuild is over. They traded for AD and Trae Young, along with drafting AJ Dybantsa number one overall. They need Davis to make the playoffs, which should be a worry.
Wizards have to worry about Anthony Davis’ injury history
AD has played more than 62 games just once since 2019. Over the last eight seasons, he has averaged just 49.6 contests per year. The Wizards need him to play more than 50 games to make the playoffs. Davis is elite when he’s on the floor, but it simply doesn’t happen enough.
He played through an ankle injury on Wednesday night. AD finished with 26 points, ten rebounds, three assists, and three blocks, despite suffering the injury in the first quarter. Fans shouldn’t expect this to be a long absence, but Davis is no stranger to missing time for various issues in a season.
This is the same story from his time with the Lakers. LA was an elite team, and Davis was a superstar when he played. The team struggled when he was out, which happened frequently. Nothing has changed except that AD is now 33 years old.
The Lakers would make the Luka for AD swap 100 times out of 100. Doncic may be the best player on the planet right now and has LA looking like a title contender. Luka leads the NBA in scoring and is a lock to make first-team All-NBA if he plays 65 games.
The Los Angeles Lakers can see that nothing has changed with Anthony Davis. He is still elite on both ends of the floor and wants to play the four. There will be missed games, but fans can expect monster production when he’s on the floor. The only thing that is different is AD’s age and uniform.
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