Anthony Davis has looked at his best playing center for the Los Angeles Lakers, but he won’t have to carry that burden as much during the 2023-24 season.
Davis reportedly expressed his desire to go back to playing more power forward and the front office responded by signing Jaxson Hayes and Christian Wood in free agency. Hayes and Wood are different types of centers, but they have skillsets that Davis believes complement him well.
The star big man is more disruptive defensively when he’s the lone big manning the middle, while offensively he has more room to operate with the increased spacing on the floor. However, Hayes and Wood figure to rotate in and out of the center position to give Davis a break from having to defend bigger centers throughout the regular season.
When asked about whether he considers himself a power forward or center, Davis simplified things. “Shit, who knows. I’m still trying to figure it out. I am a big man. There you go. I am a big that plays basketball.”
As for how the two-big lineups have looked, Davis gave his initial thoughts and acknowledged that there’s more work to be done. “Me and Jaxson were on the same team for the first couple of days. I think me and C-Wood were on the same team today for a stint. They were doing a good job, I was confused a lot. Just sliding back to the four during some possessions and it’s like ‘AD grab corner!’ Oh, I forgot.
“So it was good, just figuring some things out. I’m talking with the coaches and Jaxson and C-Wood about some things that I did with DeMarcus [Cousins], Julius [Randle] in New Orleans. So it’s been good. It feels good to stay out of 100 pick-and-rolls a game. Still got a lot to learn from it, still got a lot to explore. But it’s been good the first couple days.”
It’s no surprise that there’s going to be an adjustment period for all three players, but Davis’ talent and IQ should make the process smoother as they continue to get reps together.
Anthony Davis again sets goal of playing 82 games during 2023-24 season
Injuries have derailed Davis’ career at multiple points, but that hasn’t stopped him from setting a personal goal of playing all 82 regular season games again. It’s hard to imagine the medical staff allowing him to do that, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility.
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