After the Los Angeles Lakers were on a five-game losing run, Jeanie Buss felt the heat from the fans despite their ability to turn things around late in the season. The Lakers made some significant bombshell trades at the trade deadline later to turn things around. She said that there were times when she doubted her ability to finish the season in a recent interview with The Athletic.
Along with the animosity she witnessed on social media, she also got death threats because of the team’s failings. Buss said during an appearance on the NBA podcast “Winning Time” for the Athletic, “Last season started out really tough, it was like, ‘I’m not going to survive this, this is going to be really rough.’ I was getting death threats, and then the team, something just clicked and Anthony Davis being healthy, there’s an argument to be made that he was the best player in the NBA when he was playing.”
Owner of the Los Angeles Lakers Jeanie Buss is a kind and intriguing woman who, as recently as 2020, presided over an NBA championship team. Rob Pelinka, the general manager, was brought on board in 2017 with no prior front-office experience. Buss’s hiring and backing of him have also drawn criticism.
But when the Lakers completed a few transactions before the trade deadline last season, things changed around. Buss and Pelinka gained popularity again. Rui Hachimura, D’Angelo Russell, and Jarred Vanderbilt came in for Westbrook, four underutilized, impactless players, and limited draft money. All of a sudden, Los Angeles was once again a title contender.
Jeanie Buss believes Anthony Davis was the NBA’s best when healthy
For their first 13 games of the season, the Lakers had a 3-10 record. And to make matters worse, LeBron James sustained an injury that kept him out for 13 games. Recently, Jeanie Buss said in public that Anthony Davis may arguably be the best player in the NBA, sparking debates.
According to Buss, Davis was perhaps the greatest player in the NBA last season while he was active and healthy. “There’s an argument to be made that he [Anthony Davis] was the best player in the NBA when he was playing,” she said.
“There’s an argument to be made that he [Anthony Davis] was the best player in the NBA when he was playing.”
Do you agree?
Jeanie Buss joined the latest The Athletic NBA Show to discuss more on the Los Angeles Lakers: pic.twitter.com/LiYOsMPH5d
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) September 20, 2023
Due to a foot ailment, Davis was forced to miss many games, but when he returned, he was unstoppable. The 30-year-old Illinois native played 40 games and had an overall average of 23.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks. Davis has earned one NBA title and eight All-Star selections. He was also voted the NBA Finals MVP in 2020.
After a shaky start to the season, the Lakers’ fortunes improved, according to Buss. The team’s entry into the postseason was made possible by some significant blockbuster trade deadline transactions along with some good fortune with regard to player health. Despite falling short of a championship, they gained a lot of momentum heading into this year.