While the Los Angeles Lakers’ Anthony Davis is a supremely gifted and skilled player, he has many critics. Those critics constantly harangue him for being injury-prone, and they also accuse him of allegedly being lazy and lacking motivation or desire.
Yet Davis is coming off one of his best seasons ever. He averaged 25.9 points and 12.5 rebounds a game while shooting 56.3 percent from the field, and his rebounding average and shooting accuracy were both career highs.
Buy Lakers TicketsIn fact, had he played in enough games, he would’ve been credited as the NBA’s rebounding leader.
Lakers owner Jeanie Buss said that when Davis was available, he was arguably the best player in the world (h/t The Cold Wire).
“There’s an argument to be made that he [Anthony Davis] was the best player in the NBA when he was playing.”
– Jeanie Buss on Anthony Davis’ 2022-23 season
(Via @TheAthletic ) pic.twitter.com/66SKHhVPR8
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 20, 2023
From mid-November until his right foot stress injury in mid-December, Davis went on the type of tear few players have ever gone on. During that 13-game span, he put up 32.4 points and 14.0 rebounds a contest while hitting a sizzling 64.1 percent of his shot attempts. During that stretch, he also had six games with at least 30 points and 15 boards.
Although he had some disappointing offensive performances in the playoffs, he was a terror defensively and on the boards, averaging 14.1 rebounds and 3.1 blocks in 16 playoff games, both of which led the league.
Sometimes it is easy to forget just how dominant Davis is when he is able to play.
