This upcoming season is an important one for the Los Angeles Lakers, which is always the case for the organization when superstars are on the roster, specifically with LeBron James entering his 22nd season and Anthony Davis in the middle of the prime of his career.
With James turning 40 in December, general manager Rob Pelinka is beginning to think about the next iteration of this team when he ultimately retires. Despite some mixed feelings regarding whether trying to balance the present and future together is a good idea, there needs to be some consideration of what a Davis-led team will look like.
Now, coming two consecutive superb defensive seasons, Davis is starting to gain some recognition for the defensive center he is. This past year felt like Davis officially took responsibility as L.A.’s leader.
However, he needs to build upon that heading into next season as James ages. A believer in that notion is former Lakers championship forward Lamar Odom, who took to social media to share that he thinks Davis can win MVP this upcoming season should he stay healthy:
Big fella might have an MVP like season if he stays healthy!! https://t.co/xdpTbC2aMH
— LAMAR ODOM (@LamarOdom) July 17, 2024
After playing a career-high 76 games, there is an expectation for Davis to build off that and do it again in 2024-25. With him playing in the Olympics this summer, however, his preparation for the upcoming season is different than normal so it may not be fair to expect him to play as many games for the Lakers.
A recent example of this is Austin Reaves, who was a participant in the FIBA World Cup for Team USA last summer and struggled with his shooting to begin last season. Hopefully that is not the case for Davis as he tries to bring home a gold medal.
So far for Team USA, Davis has been a dominant force on both sides of the ball, which is what has led Odom and so many others to believe he can be in the mix for MVP.
At the very least, the Chicago native should be a prominent player for the Defensive Player of the Year award after finishing fourth in voting last season. It will be no easy task with a surplus of talent in the league, especially in the Western Conference, but as Davis is now in his prime, anything is possible.
Lamar Odom says feels ‘sick’ seeing Paul Pierce happy about Celtics winning NBA title
Unfortunately, last season did not go to plan for the Lakers as they got eliminated in the first round to the Denver Nuggets. They also had to watch their arch-rival Boston Celtics win their 18th championship.
Lamar Odom got to experience that rivalry firsthand and admitted that he felt ‘sick’ seeing Paul Pierce celebrate Boston retaking the lead for most championships in league history.
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