Former NBA player and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins revealed that Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis is his early pick to win the league’s MVP award in the 2022-23 season.
"Early prediction: I got Anthony Davis winning the MVP next season."
— Kendrick Perkins#NBATwitter #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/RnY0Up9hay
— 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧' 𝐍𝐁𝐀 (@_Talkin_NBA) July 20, 2022
“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.”
Perkins went on to praise Davis for looking like he is in phenomenal shape this offseason and putting in extra work early in the morning.
It’s certainly a bold prediction from Perkins, but it is one Lakers fans wouldn’t mind coming true in the 2022-23 campaign.
Davis, who played in just 40 games last season, is a vital part of the Lakers’ chances of being successful in the future. Los Angeles has already seen that when Davis is healthy it can win the NBA Finals like it did during the 2019-20 season.
During the 2021-22 season, Davis averaged 23.2 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game while shooting 53.2 percent from the field and 18.6 percent from beyond the arc.
Davis’ shooting took a bit of a step back last season, as he wasn’t nearly as efficient from beyond the arc as he was when the Lakers won the NBA title with him. During that season, Davis shot 33.0 percent from deep.
The Lakers missed the postseason entirely with Davis and LeBron James both banged up during the 2021-22 campaign. If Davis can get back to his old self, he may be able to make Perkins’ early prediction come true.
