While some Los Angeles Lakers fans are optimistic about the team’s 2022-23 season, a lot of people are not.
The success of the team may very well depend on the play of Anthony Davis, who has battled injury issues in recent seasons. There has been a lot of chatter about Davis being the team’s No. 1 option this season.
Of course, in order to really help the Lakers turn things around, Davis is going to need to stay healthy, which is a goal of his going into the season.
Anthony Davis says his goal is to play all 82 games this season.
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) September 26, 2022
But not everyone is confident in Davis’ ability to lead the Lakers to success, and it seems like former NBA champion Stephen Jackson is one of those people.
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 just don’t see A.D. showing up in practice like, ‘Look bruh, everybody get on my back this year. I got it. F— what they talk about in the media. F— all that s—. Let’s get on my back. I got it.’ He’s not coming in there and saying that,” Jackson said. “And if he don’t have that attitude, they not gonna even make the playoffs.”
Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce also isn’t sold on the Lakers.
“I don’t even think the Lakers gonna be a top eight seed,” Pierce said.
Jackson and Pierce certainly aren’t the only ones who think the Lakers will struggle in the upcoming season. However, new head coach Darvin Ham will surely do everything in his power to get the most out of L.A.’s roster.
Ham will need a lot from Davis, who appeared in just 40 games last season. The 29-year-old averaged 23.2 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game in the 2021-22 campaign while shooting 53.2 percent from the field and 18.6 percent from deep.
Davis’ shooting from beyond the arc is going to be an interesting storyline to watch in the upcoming season. The Lakers were not a good 3-point shooting team last season, as they ranked 22nd in the NBA in 3-point percentage.
If Davis were to improve in that department, it would be a step in the right direction. He did go 2-for-4 from deep in L.A.’s preseason opener.
Of course, the team would also love to see him be more aggressive overall. Time will tell if that’s in the cards for the big man this season.
The Lakers will open their 2022-23 campaign on Oct. 18 against the Golden State Warriors.
