Anthony Davis’s incredible season was one of the few highlights to take away from this disappointing and frustrating Lakers season.
Welcome to our annual Lakers season in review series, where we’ll look back at each player on the team’s roster this season and evaluate if they should be part of the future of the franchise. Today, we take a look at Anthony Davis.
Nobody on this year’s Lakers team had a better season than Anthony Davis. After being the center of scrutiny every time the Lakers were discussed in public for years, AD responded by putting together his best season yet in the purple and gold.
First, let’s talk about Davis’ health since this topic has long been associated with his name. For the first time in five years, the big man crossed 70 games played as he suited up for 76 of them this season, not just the most ever with the purple and gold but in his career. Davis deserves a lot of credit for silencing his critics in that regard this season.
Second, thanks to his availability this season, the 31-year-old superstar further proved why he’s indeed the best player on this team. This isn’t a knock on his co-star LeBron James per se — who is doing the unprecedented by winning his own battle with father time — but more so validation for AD and the Lakers that he’s capable of leading the franchise and meeting the standards set for him.
What more could the Lakers ask out of Davis this season? He was the only player in the league selected to both the All-NBA team and the All-Defense team. The Brow provided consistent elite two-way production throughout the season, averaging 24.7 points, 12.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks a game in 35.5 minutes during the regular season. He had 40 double-doubles, which ranks third-best in the league, and regained his All-Star status after not being selected for two years.
Davis’ season was one of the few highlights to take away from this disappointing year. If anything, it feels bittersweet to get this incredible season from him only for the Lakers to let him down. Unlike the past two seasons, Davis was far from the problem that led to L.A.’s downfall.
How did he play?
Davis entered the season in good shape, and it didn’t take long for him to produce at a high level. AD was often the team’s top scorer and rebounder on a nightly basis, in addition to anchoring their defense. At one point, he was leading the league in minutes played per game (41.6), but that eventually subsided as the season went on.
The one-time champion had multiple signature games this season, such as his brilliant 41-20 performance to clinch the first In-Season Tournament title, the 33-17-8-4-2 masterpiece he put together on the eve of his birthday against the Timberwolves and the 34-23 night he had against the Milwaukee Bucks where he played 51 minutes.
There was also a stretch this season, particularly from November to February, when Davis showed glimpses of his playmaking and passing skills, something he mentioned he wanted to improve on. Although it would’ve been nice if he did it consistently, Davis averaged a career-high 3.5 assists this season as he’s become better at reading double-team coverages thrown at him and passing out of the post.
Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images
Speaking of building off a certain skillset, what the Lakers failed to do was support Davis with reliable perimeter and wing defense. It didn’t help that Jarred Vanderbilt, arguably the team’s best perimeter and flyer, was out for most of the season. So, not only did these factors impact AD’s Defensive Player of the Year case, it made his task to carry a mediocre defense every game more challenging.
Then, when the playoffs arrived, AD was able to match Nikola Jokic’s production, averaging 27.8 points, 15.6 (!) rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 41.6 minutes throughout those five games. We know what eventually happened in this rather forgettable series but, results aside, this was one of Davis’ best playoff performances. Unfortunately, it was mostly doom and gloom like the Lakers’ frustrating season.
Ultimately, though, this was one of AD’s best seasons in his career and hopefully one of the many he has left as he continues to be the face of this franchise.
What is his contract situation moving forward?
Since Davis signed a three-year maximum contract extension last summer, he has four more years in his current contract with a player option heading into the 2027-28 season. Unless the nine-time All-Star is traded, he will be in Los Angeles for quite some time.
Should he be back?
The only way the Lakers don’t bring AD back is if Jeanie Buss wakes up one day and suddenly decides she wants to start rebuilding. There’s no doubt that Davis will be back and will possibly be a Laker until he retires.
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