Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis showed truly how valuable of a player he is this past postseason with the way he protected the rim. Davis totaled 50 blocks in the playoffs, which is the most postseason blocks by a player since 2012.
The Chicago native was the only player in the NBA to average at least 25 points with two or more blocks, showing how special he is when healthy and on the court. Now that he has signed a new extension, Davis will now be the building block of the Lakers for the foreseeable future.
However, LeBron James is still on the team and the goal is to cash in on at least one more championship before he leaves or retires. While James has been spectacular in his past two seasons, Davis obviously plays a massive role in taking the Lakers to the promise land.
NBA legend Kevin Garnett is one of the people who is holding Davis to a high standard and is expecting an MVP in the next two seasons, via SHOWTIME Basketball:
“Guess what? I’m expecting Anthony Davis to be MVP in these next two year or something real shit. It’s time bro. It’s time. You can’t let Joker [Nikola Jokic] come in the league and surpass – nah, nah, nah. Man, shit. Anthony Davis can do everything they can do. Anthony Davis can do everything that Joker can do. He can do everything [Joel] Embiid can do. The f**k you talking about, dog? I’m expecting him to be MVP if not this year, definitely next year, straight up. And he’s going to take the reins of, ‘Yeah, I’m the best player in the league.’
Davis has been the subject of high scrutiny due to his lack of availability and some offensive inconsistencies in recent years. While those things can be true, it is unfair to hold him to a higher standard than other superstars in the league who share the same flaws.
This past season was the second healthiest season for Davis since joining the Lakers, playing 56 games, which is only less than 2019-20 when he played 62 games. If he is able to stay healthy in 2023-24 and play 65+ games then it is not far-fetched to say Davis will be in the MVP conversation, but that is obviously big if.
Garnett recognizes what Davis brings to the table and how valuable of a player he is, so he wants to see him showcase his talents on a consistent basis just like all Lakers fans do.
Darvin Ham looking forward to team’s depth coming together
The Lakers were quite frankly a team that not many people saw making it to the Western Conference Finals last year with the roller coaster season they had. But, this summer the front office expanded on the team’s depth and head coach Darvin Ham is excited to see these acquisitions come to fruition, adding depth across the board.
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