During the summer, when Anthony Davis He was working on his body, mind and psyche after another campaign marred by injury LakersOne of his camp members said something terrible.
“Yo, AD, we’re going to get our donkeys out of L.A. if we don’t get them right this year.”
If nothing else, Davis has a great sense of humor, and is gentle and balanced.
He laughed when asked if he remembered that comment.
“Man, we talked so much that I don’t even remember, to be honest,” Davis said with a smile.
What Davis knows is that Lakers fans want to see him on the field more than 40 games Played last season. They want to see the best version of Davis. They want to see him reach his full potential. They want to see him dominate. They want to see him help bring another NBA championship to the Lakers.
More than anything, they want to see Anthony Davis in good shape this season.
“I mean, the fans are going to be fans,” Davis said. “Obviously they want to support their team, they want the best for their team and their players. But they don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes. All they see is the game. So they don’t know the things that are really going on behind the scenes with the team. But at the same time, I’m the first to look at The mirror to see how I can be better.
“I know I have to be better, for sure. I don’t need a fan to tell me that. They want to see their team win and that’s okay. When I look at a fan saying all these things about you, they know what you can be. They know you’re what you think.” You. You just have to go in there and do it.”
Knee and foot injuries took a heavy toll on his body last season. This led to a TNT parser Charles Barclay Giving Davis a dubious nickname.
“Yeah, I called him, ‘streetwear.'” Barkley told The Times, “I mean, he’s hurt more than he played.” “I mean, I don’t know if he’s played 82 games.”
Davis didn’t, Barkley was told. Davis played 75 games in consecutive seasons from 2016 to 2018. During 10 years of his careerOn average, he played 55 matches.
When Barkley’s comments were conveyed to Davis, his jaw tightened and his smile disappeared. Clearly, Barkley’s criticism weighed on Davis.
“I don’t care what he says,” Davis said. “People say things about ratings. Like, they have to push their show, publish their blog, push their podcast, whatever it is. So, people have to say something to get viewers in. That is what it is. I go out there and play basketball and let them do their work. My job is to ring. Their job is to speak for me.”
Lakers forward Anthony Davis tries to block a shot from Hornets goalkeeper Terry Rosier. Davis was the NBA All-Defensive Team Choice four times.
(Robert Gautier/Trending News)
For what he was worth, Barkley said the talent of the nine-time All-Star is undeniable. He has proven to be one of the best two-way players in the NBA, an All-NBA player and a four-time All-Defensive team member.
“I said, ‘I think maybe six or seven years ago, I thought he was the best player in the league when he was in New Orleans,'” Barkley said. “I said, ‘I think this guy is going to be the best player in the league for the next two years. “
But with Davis, who said his back is fine and will be ready when the Lakers open the season against the defending champions Tuesday in San Francisco, it always comes back to the same theme.
“He wasn’t very healthy,” Barkley said. “And I will say the same thing I said last year. I said: Forget LeBron [James] And the [Russell] Westbrook and everyone else—because they had all the old guys—I said unless Anthony Davis was a top-five MVP, the Lakers weren’t going to do any good. And I think it’s the same this year. If he’s one of the top five players, they’ll have a chance. If not, they will be mediocre. It’s all on my birthday.”
Davis said he began training two weeks after the Lakers’ season ended on April 10, the season in which they failed to make it to the post-season. He said he hasn’t made any changes to his battalion over the summer based on past results and has been comfortable with the way he and his team are running things. It’s listed as 253 pounds, and its 6-10 tire feels more robust.
On June 11, a video surfaced showing Davis shooting with a friend and then saying, “I haven’t shot a basketball since April, probably like April 5.”
It went viral and Lakers fans were in an uproar.
Davis explained.
“We finished it in April, or a little earlier and we weren’t training, so I really started two weeks into the season, and I went to strength training,” he said. “I couldn’t do much that’s why people were always saying, ‘Oh, I didn’t hit the ball at anything. At the same time, you have to realize that my feet were still rotten. Last year, I’ve been coming out of games taking off my shoes because my feet were so rotten. Like I said, fans don’t know what’s behind the scenes. … But my strength hasn’t changed. I started earlier and was able to feel a lot better.”
Striker Anthony Davis, who is trying to protect basketball from the arrival of Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmue during last season’s game, is likely to play more central this season than in previous years with the Lakers.
(Robert Gautier/Trending News)
During the 2020-21 season, only 36 of the 72 schedule short games played for the pandemic, and most of those missed games were due to calf and right heel problems.
In those two seasons when he played in 75 professional matches, he produced big numbers. He averaged 28 points, 11.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.2 blocks and fired 50.5% from the field in 2016-17, 28.1 points and 11.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.6 blocks and fired 53.4% from the field the following season.
In 40 games with the Lakers last season, he averaged 23.2 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.3 blocks and fired 53.2% from the field and a heartbreaking 18.6% from three-point range.
“I think what happened to him, the injured thing that he can’t do much about. I think everyone deals with it because, ‘Oh, he’s always injured, he’s always this, he’s always this,'” said Alvin Gentry, a Sacramento front-office executive who Davis trained in New Orleans during that time, well, part of it was because he played hard as hell.” When you’re that big and play like he did for us, you’re going to have some injuries here and there. So, I had no problem with that because he was a guy who wanted to play. If he can’t play, he can’t play. But all you have to do is look at his numbers when he’s on the field.
“I hear all of this talking about him, but no team in the NBA doesn’t want him. I hear all this BS about, ‘Oh, he’s this and he’s that.’ But ask any coach and any general manager if they’d like him to be on their team.”
New Lakers coach Darvin Hamm said he’s counting on Davis to be there when he’s called up. Whether as a central or attacking player, Hamm has defined what he wants from Davies.
“We talked about it in every conversation we had over the summer,” Hamm said. I said, ‘I want you to be an animal, brother. As if we wouldn’t put you in a situation where you could hurt yourself. But I really want you to come.”
Lakers fans saw Davis’ dominance during the 2020 playoffs. He averaged 25.0 points, 10.7 rebounds, and three assists and fired 57.1% from the field and 42.1% from a three-point range in the Finals against the Miami Heat.
That’s what Lakers fans and the entire basketball community want to see again outside of Davis this season.
“In terms of skill level, he has to be one of the top five players in the league,” Barkley said. “Health is number 1 for a birth. And I think the second thing is that he must develop a killer instinct. For the Lakers, it’s 100 percent after my birth announcement.”
Davis heard all the noise and still does. Davis said he hasn’t proven anyone wrong, but he has a goal in mind.
“I only got one goal, which is to play in 82 matches,” he said. “I want to be as available as possible to my teammates and coach and give ourselves a chance to win every night.”