In the 2022-23 NBA season, the Los Angeles Lakers are going to need LeBron James and Anthony Davis to play at incredibly high levels if the team is going to have any shot at real success.
Though Davis and James arguably make up the most talented duo in the NBA, former NBA star Kevin Garnett recently urged Davis to “literally take the keys” from James and become the unquestioned first option for the team.
Our guys don’t see Lakers having any success unless Anthony Davis is healthy and dominant.
Full Certified Smoke 2022-23 NBA Season Preview drops this week on the Showtime Basketball YouTube. pic.twitter.com/WZIgXGgkID
— SHOWTIME Basketball (@shobasketball) October 4, 2022
“I want to see A.D. go for the MVP of this league,” he said. “I want him to literally take the keys from Bron and put L.A on his back and make it one of them must-see L.A. joints like we know L.A. to be because the Clippers are coming bro. Listen, if A.D. is not talking about being the best big in the league and averaging 30…if he ain’t talking about this, I don’t see the Lakers being a big deal.”
This could be seen as a shot to James, but the truth is that James completely agrees with Garnett.
Ever since Davis joined the Lakers, James has made it clear that he wants Davis to be the No. 1 option on the team. While Davis has been that at times, there have also been many instances in which James has had to take over.
Davis recently revealed that James has “been in his ear” about claiming the top spot for the Lakers.
“Davis said James, 37, has been in his ear about taking over the reins of the team, while the rest of the roster would follow his lead,” Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports wrote.
There is no doubt that Davis has the skills to be the top dog on the Lakers this season. The primary question mark revolves around his health.
Over the past two seasons, Davis has struggled mightily to stay healthy and missed more games than he’s played in.
Davis has gone on the record saying that his goal is to play in all 82 games in the upcoming season. If he can get anywhere close to that, it would be a major positive for the Lakers.
Anthony Davis says his goal is to play all 82 games this season.
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) September 26, 2022
It’s also hard to imagine the Lakers not having a successful season if James and Davis can both stay healthy throughout the campaign. Only time will tell what the future holds for the storied franchise.
