There was a lot of pressure on Los Angeles Lakers superstar Anthony Davis entering the 2022-23 season after constant injuries ruined the previous two years for him. While there was still an injury issue in 2023, Davis rebounded and reminded everyone just how dominant he can be when healthy, especially on the defensive end.
Davis did suffer a right foot injury that cause him to miss 20 games, but he would return in January and proceed to play the majority of games after that and every game of the Lakers’ postseason run to the Western Conference Finals.
Davis averaged 25.9 points, his most since his first year in L.A., a career-high 12.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.1 steals per game this year. He was named Western Conference Player of the Week twice (November 28 – December 4 and March 27 – April 2) and was also named Western Conference Player of the Month in March.
When the Lakers made their trade deadline moves and turned things around, it was Davis who was the driving force, especially as it was the Lakers’ defense that became dominant and he was the face of that. When LeBron James went down to injury, it was Davis who stepped up and lead the Lakers through a successful stretch to push them into the playoffs.
Once in the postseason, Davis proved that he is the best defensive player in basketball. While he had some inconsistencies on offense, he was an absolute force on the other side of the floor, which again was the Lakers’ calling card. Both the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors were unable to get anything going inside as Davis’ presence changed everything. Even in the sweep to the Denver Nuggets, Davis was a main reason the Lakers held the extremely efficient Nikola Jokic to under 50% shooting in the final three games of the series.
For the playoffs, Davis averaged 22.6 points, 14.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 3.1 blocks and 1.4 steals in 38 minutes per game.
2022-23 Highlight
There are many highlights to choose from this season when it comes to Davis. In terms of regular season, his back-to-back performances on Dec. 2 and 4 have to be at the top of the list. First, he outdueled Giannis Antetokounmpo on the road, finishing with 44 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks in the Lakers’ win. He would follow that up with 55 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks in a win at Washington, becoming the first Lakers player since Kobe Bryant with back-to-back 40 point games.
In the playoffs, Davis set the tone in Game 1 of each series, but it was the performance against the Warriors that was legendary. Davis finished with 30 points, 23 rebounds, five assists and four blocks in the Lakers win and joined Tim Duncan as the only players with at least 30 points, 20 rebounds, five assists and three blocks in a playoff game.
2023-24 Outlook
Now that he re-established himself as one of the NBA’s premier players during the Lakers’ playoff run, the pressure will be on Davis to build on that next season and, most importantly, stay healthy.
The Lakers have re-tooled the roster around himself and James and the championship window is quickly closing. This franchise is looking to raise its 18th Championship banner and in order for that to happen, Davis has to be a dominant force all season long.
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