Even though the Los Angeles Lakers didn’t make any big moves this offseason, there’s still optimism surrounding the team going into the 2022-23 season as LeBron James and Anthony Davis are still on the roster.
Both James and Davis have dealt with their fair share of injuries the last two seasons but are believed to be healthy now, ready to get back to their 2019-20 form when they led the Lakers to a championship.
Davis, in particular, will need to have a big season if the Lakers want to be successful. It appears that everyone in the organization is aware of that as in an interview with Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, Davis revealed that both Darvin Ham and James have been in his ear about becoming the team’s No. 1 option offensively:
Head coach Darvin Ham will look to utilize the eight-time All-Star as the No. 1 offensive option to aid in minimizing the workload of four-time MVP LeBron James, who is entering his 20th season.
Davis said James, 37, has been in his ear about taking over the reins of the team, while the rest of the roster would follow his lead.
Davis has already spoken about taking on a bigger leadership role with the Lakers this season, although he knows to do that, he will have to lead by example:
“All I can do is lead by my actions,” Davis told Yahoo Sports. “I’m excited for this challenge and what’s ahead. I think we have a great group of guys to get the job done. It’s now about putting in the work.”
Even though there’s been a lot of talk about Davis leading the way offensively, he believes that it will have to start defensively if this team is gonna be successful:
“That’s where we’ll be at our strongest, defensively,” Davis told Yahoo Sports. “I’m going to demand we stay committed and lead on that end, as well. I love playing defense. I think you’ll see a much different Lakers team, and I can’t wait to get out there.”
It seems that Davis is going into this season with the right mindset, it will just be a matter of if he can stay healthy to see things through and make good on these goals.
Davis sets goal of playing all 82 games
While Davis is not big on individual goals, focusing more on team results, he has set one milestone he’d like to reach this season. In line with the topic of health, Davis said he is trying to play all 82 games for the Lakers in 2022-23.
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