It may be hard for some NBA players to find the motivation and willpower to play on a busy schedule in an 82-game season. However, Anthony Davis is the face of the Los Angeles Lakers and his team depends on him to produce on each night that he plays.
Given the importance he plays on both sides of the ball, Davis is starting to showcase truly how valuable of a player he is. After playing a career-high 76 games last year, the former Kentucky Wildcat is now expected to be there more often than not when the Lakers take the floor.
There is always outside pressure surrounding L.A. each season, especially with Davis and his co-star LeBron James getting up there in age. What makes guys like them so great though is that the preparation is second-to-none in order to get themselves ready to compete at a high level. The Lakers big man recently shared his pregame routine, which seems to be extremely detailed and precise, via the Lakers:
Gum wrapper, stanchion bump, hook shot — AD gives us a behind-the-scenes look at his pregame routine.
Insider's Look | AD's Pregame pic.twitter.com/z75Hprmiwt
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) November 8, 2024
Having structure is important in everyday life, not even just for NBA players. For Davis, he knows what it takes to perform at a superstar level and it is great to see how seriously he takes his job.
Last season resulted in a disappointing first-round exit to the Denver Nuggets where L.A. led a majority of the series. Every year is a championship-or-bust season for the purple and gold, so there is more responsibility on Davis to solidify himself as the team’s No. 1 option while also taking them to a high enough seed to make some noise in the postseason.
Anthony Davis feels Lakers are ‘two different teams right now’
There was an aspect of uncertainty heading into the Lakers’ 2024-25 season seeing as how JJ Redick is a first-time head coach that was hired to replace Darvin Ham. However, L.A. got off to a hot start by winning three straight.
That would be short-lived, however, as the Lakers would go 1-4 on their first road trip of the year. Those results led to mixed perceptions surrounding truly how good this team is.
While there are plenty of games to be played, Anthony Davis feels that the Lakers are ‘two different teams right now,’ so trying to find those right tendencies is something Redick is going to have to find as time passes.
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