It’s no secret that the Los Angeles Lakers will only go as far as Anthony Davis takes them in the 2023-24 season.
With that being the case, the team has to be thrilled with the fact that the big man has reportedly never been in better shape entering a Lakers training camp than he currently is.
It also sounds like there’s reason for optimism regarding his shooting.
“Training camp officially starts Tuesday morning,” wrote The Athletic’s Jovan Buha. “The buzz around the facility is that Davis, who has progressively shot 3-pointers worse since his career-best shooting performance during the 2019-20 championship season, is in the best shape he’s been in entering a Lakers training camp and is shooting the ball similar to his earlier levels.”
Davis being in such good shape is a wonderful development for the Lakers, who need him on the floor as often as possible in the upcoming season. Availability concerns have often been a topic of conversation with the veteran due in large part to the fact that he hasn’t reached the 60-game benchmark since his first season in a Lakers uniform.
Any sort of improvement from Davis as a shooter would also be a big win for Los Angeles. Over the past three seasons, he has made just 23.8 percent of his 3-pointers, with his volume in that department starting to decrease in recent years as well.
For his career, he’s a 30.0 percent shooter from deep. If he were to hover around that mark this season for the Lakers, it would be a notable improvement.
The Lakers have added some help at the center position this offseason, a strategy that may allow Davis to spend more time at the 4. With any luck, that will help the eight-time All-Star flourish.
When Davis was on the floor last season, he was very productive, averaging 25.9 points and 12.5 rebounds per contest. He was a bit inconsistent during the playoffs, but he had a big hand in helping the Lakers reach the Western Conference Finals.
Los Angeles has similar (and perhaps even bigger) goals for the 2023-24 campaign. Many contenders around the NBA have improved their rosters this offseason, but Lakers fans seem confident that their team has done enough to keep pace with many of the league’s other title challengers.
