Recently, there have been whispers that LeBron James isn’t very happy with Anthony Davis.
If that is true, James’ unhappiness probably centers around Davis’ lack of availability and inconsistent play since his return from a right foot stress injury. According to Colin Cowherd, James is peeved that head coach Darvin Ham isn’t holding the superstar big man accountable.
During All-Star weekend, James said he wants to play in all 23 of the Los Angeles Lakers’ remaining regular season games while calling them “23 of the most important games of my career.”
NBA analyst Chris Broussard believes James made that statement in order to send a message to Davis that he, too, needs to be available for every one of those games while playing his best ball. He even stirred the pot by repeating Cowherd’s rumor of Davis being traded to the Dallas Mavericks this summer (h/t The Cold Wire).
"LeBron James is sending a message to one Anthony Davis. … Dallas' objective this summer is Kyrie for AD sign-and-trade. If AD doesn't ball in these last 23 games, the Lakers might look at something like that."
— @Chris_Broussard explains: pic.twitter.com/Aul5R7XCs9
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) February 20, 2023
Since his return, Davis has averaged 22.5 points a game. However, he is also grabbing 12.9 rebounds a contest, and in the Lakers’ last game versus the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday, he had 28 points on 13-of-17 shooting, 10 boards, five assists and two blocks.
The long All-Star break will allow him to rest and treat his recovering right foot, and there is plenty of reason to believe, as long as he stays healthy, he will be dominant moving forward, just as he was for about a month before his injury.
