In the 2022-23 NBA season, the success of the Los Angeles Lakers is going to hinge prominently on what kind of season superstar big man Anthony Davis has.
Over the last two seasons, Davis has dealt with various injuries that have forced him to significant time. However, heading into this season, the hope is that his trend of missing games is going to change. Davis has already made it a personal goal to play in all 82 regular season games this season.
Anthony Davis says his goal is to play all 82 games this season.
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) September 26, 2022
On top of that, people around Davis have reportedly declared that the 2022 offseason was Davis’ best in terms of the training that he did in the gym.
“Those close to Davis shared with Yahoo Sports that the forward had his best summer of training,” Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports reported. “There has always been chatter about Davis leading the Lakers for a full season, but those close to him believe he has positioned himself to do so this year.”
That news should strike fear in the hearts of opposing NBA players all over the league. The truth is that when Davis is healthy and locked in, he may be the best player in the NBA. He’s shown flashes of that potential throughout his career, but has never really sustained it for long enough to get serious consideration to be placed in that ever-changing slot.
In his career, Davis has averaged 23.8 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. He’s also a defensive dynamo and has averaged an incredible 2.3 blocks per game throughout his career.
Beyond the numbers, the 6-foot-10, 253-pound star can simply do things on the court that very few other players in the league can do. He utilized all of those skills during the Lakers’ push to the NBA title in 2020. He had numerous jaw-dropping performances including a 32-point and 14-rebound performance in Game 2 of the 2020 NBA Finals.
Though expectations are not high for the Lakers at the moment, the entire trajectory of the upcoming season could change if the team gets this player night in and night out. After all, when they’re healthy, Davis and superstar LeBron James still arguably make up the most talented duo in the league.
It seems Davis is certainly doing all he can to make sure the can give his team his all this season. Only time will tell if it all pans out that way.
