Anthony Davis is not proud of the Lakers’ 2021 season. When Carmelo Anthony, Russell Westbrook and others joined he and LeBron James in Los Angeles, the goal was to compete for an NBA championship.
Prior to Davis returning to the court on April 1 in the Lakers' game against the Pelicans, the eight-time All-Star had missed the previous 18 games with a sprained foot in his second extended absence of the season. From December to the latter part of January, he missed 17 consecutive games with a MCL sprain in his left knee.
When he returned, Davis had only played in 37 games while being out for 39 this season. It marked back-to-back seasons with Davis dealing with major injuries, something that has become a major concern for his longevity. With a disappointing end to the season that includes missing the NBA playoffs and the league's play-in tournament, trade talks have heated up within Los Angeles.
With health a major factor in Davis’s inability to be on the court this season, the Lakers star forward and center told ESPN that his training regimen was not the problem that led to his string of injuries in recent years. As the offseason quickly approaches for him, Davis has no plans to deviate away from the training methods that have helped him throughout his career.
“To be honest, my training methods were top tier,” Davis told ESPN. “I can’t control stepping on someone’s foot, and I can’t control someone falling into my leg. It’s not like I’m out of shape and I f---ing did some crazy s--- or it was anything I could control.”
Davis further doubled down on his training regimen, saying that doctors told him that his off-the-court preparation was actually very beneficial.
“… The doctors actually told me that you’re lucky,” Davis said. “Our team doctor said if you weren’t doing the work that you were supposed to be doing this summer, both could have been worse.
“I could have one, f---ed up my foot way more. Or I could have torn some s--- in my knee. … It’s a positive for me, knowing that I put in a lot of work this summer and I prevented catastrophic injuries from happening to my body. … People can say what they want to say, but I know what I do every summer to get ready for an 82-game season.”
In the Lakers’ 128–112 loss to the Warriors on Thursday, Davis missed his 76th game out of 152 since the beginning of the 2020–21 season. Prior to the loss to Golden State on Thursday, Davis told ESPN that was not concerned about all of the speculative trade scenarios within the franchise.
“I can't control those things,” Davis told ESPN after the Lakers’ loss to the Suns on Tuesday. “That’s an upstairs thing. A Klutch, Rich Paul thing. My agency.
“I mean, my job is to go out and play basketball. Obviously, I love it in L.A. If that’s something that they’re considering, then we'll have a conversation about it. I don't know what they’re talking about, what’s the plan.”
In 40 games this season, Davis is averaging 23.2 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.3 blocks in 35.1 minutes of action per game.
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