Anthony Davis has been the leading man for the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2024-25 season, assuming more responsibility on both ends of the floor as LeBron James nears 40 years old.
Davis has done well in the larger role, though has suffered his share of nicks and bruises along the way. For example, Davis hurt his shoulder in the win against the Memphis Grizzlies, though chalked it up as nothing more than a little stinger. He has also dealt with plantar fasciitis in his foot for a majority of the season.
Los Angeles has been able to enjoy another few days of rest before their game on Thursday against the Sacramento Kings and Davis acknowledged that it’s been good for him and the team to rest and get some practice in.
“Yeah, it was good,” Davis said after practice on Wednesday. “Anytime you get a chance to practice and clean some things up on both ends of the floor, it’s good for us. Having a couple days off, guys letting their bodies heal, and now getting ready to face a team that’s not the team that people think they are as far as standings and record, they’re a much better team obviously they’ve been competitive in the past three or four years. We gotta come out and be ready to play. Going over some gameplan things, but having some practice time has been good for us.”
Davis also believes the time has served him because of how much basketball he’s played since the beginning of summer.
“Yeah. Anytime you play throughout the summer competitive basketball and then come right into the season, the break that we had this week and last week has been good for my body to let it heal, let it rest a little bit. It’s definitely beneficial.”
Some players might feel fatigued after spending the offseason playing in the Olympics, but Davis said he hasn’t noticed a difference.
“No. I don’t. I don’t know about other players, but I still feel good,” Davis added.
Keeping Davis as fresh as possible will go a long way in ensuring the Lakers can make some noise in the playoffs. There’s plenty of regular season left to go, but it’s encouraging to hear Davis say he’s still in a good spot physically.
Anthony Davis believes defense is key for Lakers going forward
Anthony Davis is currently leading Los Angeles in scoring during the regular season at almost 28 points per game, but the star big man believes that defense will be key for the Lakers’ success going forward.
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