After Anthony Davis missed roughly half of the Los Angeles Lakers’ games over the past two seasons because of injury, plenty of fans have lost faith in him.
They also believe he is lazy and lacks motivation, and some want him traded.
That is not how the organization feels about him. In fact, the Lakers want to re-emphasize Davis’ importance on both ends of the floor.
During a recent meeting with LeBron James and executive Rob Pelinka, new head coach Darvin Ham said he wants to run the team’s offense through the big man.
Via Yahoo Sports:
“The focus for the future Hall of Famer is competing every night in order to give themselves a chance to compete for a championship,” wrote Chris Haynes.
“Ham agreed with James and reiterated that his main objectives are to hold everyone accountable and foster an atmosphere of selflessness, sources said. He voiced that defensive tenacity needs to be picked up all across the roster and also forewarned that players would have to play new roles and if he sensed reluctance, he wouldn’t hesitate to remove them from the game, sources said.
“Furthermore, the first-year head coach said one wrinkle he will implement and stick with is having the offense run through Anthony Davis, and James concurred, sources said. The team has been encouraged with Davis’ offseason progression and believe he’ll be in optimum shape to avoid serious injuries and carry a heavier load.”
Davis has certainly been putting in significant work this offseason, including working out with Chris Matthews, also known as “Lethal Shooter,” a renowned shooting coach who has worked with several star players.
Running the offense through Davis would simply be reverting to part of the formula that won L.A. the NBA championship in 2020. That year, the team made Davis its top offensive option.
Ham said during his introductory press conference that he wants to reduce the wear and tear on the 37-year-old James. Making Davis the No. 1 option on offense again would certainly help in that regard.
