The Los Angeles Lakers are generating a lot of buzz ahead of the 2023-24 season. With the burden he has had in recent seasons, LeBron James does not need to continue leading the team. Anthony Davis appeared to be capable of filling that role and guiding the Lakers through late-season winning games that enabled them to make the Western Conference Finals.
Lakers went far further than anyone imagined last season and are beginning this season with an even more skilled group. Davis is aiming for a career-best in games played this season, with the Lakers center hoping to reach the 82-game milestone. Fans should be ecstatic with his announcement on media day, as long as he doesn’t get hurt.
Anthony Davis on playing 82 games this season : it’s my goal every year to play 82 games I didn’t do anything didn’t from last summer. The boxing I do every summer it was just posted this time. @JordanRichardSC
pic.twitter.com/1VlqcsN1sL— Swish Cultures (@swishcultures_) October 2, 2023
AD has failed to play a full 82-game season for the Lakers. In fact, Davis has never played more than 62 games in a season for the Lakers. Davis has only appeared in 36, 40, and 56 games over the last three seasons. But will this be the season that he will give all he can for the purple and gold? That remains to be seen.
Davis will almost definitely not play all 82 games for obvious reasons, as very few players in the current NBA ever do. Even at full health, load management often restricts stars to playing 75 or so. Davis, who has been injured multiple times in his career, should be expected to play less.
Anthony Davis’s consistent injuries have kept him out of court frequently
Anthony Davis said that on media day which means he knows how his relationship with his injuries has been. “Last season, I had two injuries that you can’t really control. I mean, a guy fell into my knee, landed on the foot. And the good thing for me is that the doctors after they looked at us, they could have been, like 10 times worse.”
He last appeared in more than 70 games during the 2017–2018 NBA season. The big man has never played in 80 games and has only played in 70 games twice in his career. Although his excellence is generally on display when he’s on the court, he’s been sidelined frequently due to injuries.
Davis’s success or failure this season will ultimately be determined by his health. Nothing else that the squad does will matter if he can’t remain on the court. The Lakers are anticipated to be title contenders this season after a terrific last season finale and a very solid offseason in which they made many acquisitions. If everything falls into place, the Lakers will have one of the top duos in the league in James and Davis, as well as a strong roster.
