Prior to the 2022-23 NBA season, former NBA big man and current analyst Kendrick Perkins predicted that Anthony Davis would win the league MVP award this season.
“We can all agree that Anthony Davis is a top-five talent right now,” Perkins said. “And healthy – look Anthony Davis healthy – I actually have Anthony Davis picked as my MVP winner for next season. Early prediction, I think Anthony Davis is going to come back with something to prove.”
On Thursday, Perkins took it all back. After just two days of regular season play in the NBA, Perkins’ tune has completely changed. He’s basing his change of heart on his apparent belief that the Lakers will not end the season with a winning record.
“I’ma tell you why I am reneging from that take, and I will tell you why I’m not picking Anthony Davis as my MVP,” he said. “… It’s not that I don’t have belief in Anthony Davis — it’s the roster that he has around him. And we all know in order to win the MVP award, your team has to have a winning record. I believe Anthony Davis is going to remind people who they are, but let’s face reality right now: The Lakers are trash.”
It is true that the Lakers looked rather out of sorts in their season opener against the Golden State Warriors earlier this week, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that all hope is lost for the team.
Davis put in a solid performance with 27 points, six rebounds and four steals in the opener. LeBron James looked dominant as always, and point guard Russell Westbrook put in a pretty efficient night compared to what Lakers fans grew accustomed to last season.
If the team can get a win or two in its next two or three games, the Lakers could start to build some confidence and momentum early in the season.
With that in mind, there are a lot of reasons why fans and experts alike don’t have a lot of faith in the team. The roster makeup is a bit awkward, and the team simply does not have the shooting that is necessary to really dominate in today’s league.
Still, the superstar talent on the roster is elite. In the coming days and weeks, fans will find out if that proves to be enough to keep the Lakers relevant this season.
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