Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers signed a contract extension last August. The Laker’s front office needed him to make a long-term commitment, and he was ready for that. Moreover, the LA side wants the eight-time All-Star to take responsibility for carrying the team forward. AD wants to do the same as well. But to do that well, he wanted to play at the Power Forward position that he prefers. However, last season, he mainly played at the center.
Clearly, it worked for the team as well, as they reached the Western Conference Finals. But it did increase the workload of Anthony Davis. Hence, he wanted the Lakers to bring in a player like Christian Wood, who can play at center more and will take some load off him. With the pressure under control, Anthony Davis can hope to play more than 65 games, at least in the 2023-24 season. Moreover, he can play at the position he prefers, which is the power forward. But will that help the Lakers to win the championship?
An NBA Scout Believes Anthony Davis Should Keep Playing At Center
Last month, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin revealed that the eight-time All-Star wants to play less at the center because it was getting too taxing for his body. However, now that things are pretty much sorted regarding where AD will play, an anonymous NBA Scout claims the Lakers will fall apart if AD doesn’t play at center. Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix reveals what the NBA scout thinks exactly about Davis playing at PF. As per Mannix, the scout told Anthony Davis has to be five.
And the Lakers won’t win any title with AD playing the four. Moreover, Anthony Davis needs to be in a better shape. The scout said AD looked much leaner during the 2020 Bubble championship. However, Anthony Davis seemed heavier in the previous season. But it sure seems like the eight-time All-Star really worked hard this offseason. He really wants to win titles for the LA franchise. But the Lakers need a leaner version of Anthony Davis to win championships like in 2020.
AD Feels The Team Is More Comfortable With Ham’s System At Present
Recently, AD told Spectrum SportsNet that it feels like they had three separate seasons at once last season. Like the first half, then the trade deadline and finally, the turnaround in the second half. Moreover, Anthony Davis says it gets more comfortable when the core stays together over a year and discusses what they can do better together. Additionally, AD cited the difference between the chemistry with Darvin Ham now and in the past. He said in the first year of Ham’s coaching with the Lakers, the coach, AD and LBJ were trying to figure a lot of things out.
But at present, the transition is a lot more fluid. Hence, as per AD, the team is feeling a lot more comfortable with Ham’s system in his second year. However, everybody knows what can happen to AD if the stress gets uncontrollable. Indeed, the pressure of leading an iconic team like the LA Lakers is huge. But AD has always been prone to injuries. Never in his career so far did he manage to play more than 75 games. But the fans know that Anthony Davis can be among the best players in the league as long as he stays healthy. Even AD is aware of that fact.
