Richard Jefferson spoke about Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers on Inside The NBA on ESPN. While talking about AD, he noted that he should be in the conversation for MVP and Defensive Player of the Year next season, as he is in his prime. If he doesn’t win it, he might be the best player ever to never win these accolades.
“This is the thing; AD is in his prime. If he ends his career (today), he will be the most talented player to end his career without an MVP or Defensive Player of the Year. He needs to be in that conversation this season.”
Jefferson certainly makes a good point about Davis being one of the best players in the NBA.
For years, Davis has been marked as one of the top 5 players in the NBA, but due to his fitness issues, he has rarely been considered for these awards, with the last time him being in the running coming in the 2019-20 NBA season, where he finished second behind Giannis Antetokounmpo for Defensive Player of the Year.
Davis proved last year that he can be healthy for a long part of the season, playing the most games he has in his career since joining the Lakers with 76 games. If he can rack up a similar amount of games next season, the Lakers will be better for it, and could actually do really well in the Western Conference.
With LeBron James approaching 40, Davis has to be the best player on the team on both ends of the court. If he can harness his talents and take a massive step up this season, the Lakers should be considered a strong team in the West, and could even be in the championship hunt.
JJ Redick: Anthony Davis Is One Of The Best Players In The World
Lakers head coach JJ Redick spoke about Anthony Davis and the role he will play on the Lakers next season during the recent Lakers media scrum. Redick had high praise for AD, calling him one of the best players in the world, and adding that very few players in the entire league are capable of what he can do on a nightly basis.
“I think we have not only one of the best players in the world but one of the most unique players in the world in Anthony Davis. There are very few people who can do what he can do at his size. His ballhandling, his skill level offensively, and certainly the fact that he’s one of the best defensive players in the world.”
Last season, Anthony Davis averaged an impressive 24.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 3.5 assists. Davis will be aiming to put up similar numbers, if not improve upon his stats from last year this season. Davis taking up both his scoring and defensive stats in the new season is crucial to the Lakers having any championship hopes next year.
Of course, the Lakers will need all of their key players to step up next year for any kind of title push. But make no mistake about it; any championship hopes that the Lakers have live and die by Anthony Davis and his performances.