Media days took place across the NBA on Monday, and Los Angeles Lakers big man Anthony Davis is looking forward to the season. The eight-time All-Star is particularly motivated by the trash talk from the defending champion Denver Nuggets. That’s all well and good, but he and the Lakers won’t beat the Nuggets unless he’s ready to be the best player in that potential playoff series.
“It was just a lot of like the talking. … We get it, y’all won, but me and LeBron had some conversations like, ‘We can’t wait,’” said Davis.
Nuggets Can Do All The Trash Talking They Want
To the victor go the spoils. That includes the right to talk your talk.
The Nuggets swept the Lakers in the western conference finals in the last playoffs. Yes, the games were close, but the Nuggets out-executed the Lakers in critical moments, and Nikola Jokic outplayed Davis.
Davis is an elite two-way player. His eight All-Star selections, four All-NBA, and four All-Defensive selections say so. So too, does the eye test. When he’s healthy, he can make a case for best player in the world.
The problem is, he’s not always healthy and does not sustain that elite play.
If the Lakers are going to get back to the conference finals and advance to the NBA Finals, Davis will have to play like he’s the best player in the world for the duration of the playoffs. His teammate LeBron James will turn 39 in December, and as remarkable as he still is, he is not capable of carrying the load for an entire playoffs as THE guy. He knows AD has to be the best version of himself.
AD Has To Play At An Elite Level More Consistently
“He is the face [of the franchise],” James told ESPN during the Lakers’ annual media day Monday. “You look at all these [retired] numbers that surround this facility, all the greats that have come here and AD is one of them.”
We know everything Bron says and does is calculated. He teamed up with a younger star player like Davis to extend his championship window. The Lakers won it all in 2020, and Bron was Finals MVP. He’ll still be a top-15 player this season. But that alone isn’t enough.
Davis talking about being motivated by the Nuggets’ talk is nice for social media and headlines. But it’s all about on the floor production. He was drafted No. 1 overall in 2012 and his skill set suggested Giannis Antetokounmpo with a jump shot.
In Davis’ 11 seasons he’s finished top 5 in MVP voting just twice. Third in 2018 and fifth in 2020. He’s been top 5 in DPOY voting three times.
The talent is there, he just needs to find a way to stay on the floor and play consistently excellent while there.
Easier said than done. But that’s what all the all-time greats are able to do.
