Since Anthony Davis joined LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in 2019, it has been a roller coaster ride for the superstar duo. Granted, they did win a championship in their first season together, which hides some of the blemishes.
The struggles have been to no fault of Davis and James as they have proven they are one of the best duos in the entire league. But injuries and front office mismanagement have hindered their chances of cashing in on more titles together.
After getting eliminated this past season in the first round by the Denver Nuggets, L.A. is looking to make necessary adjustments to get back into contention. While roster moves are needed, Davis believes accountability is a vital step to winning a title once again, via Joe Vardon of The Athletic:
“The goal at the end of the day is still to win championships,” Davis said. “You can’t skip steps. The first step is we’re going to hold guys accountable. We’re going to show up to work and if something goes wrong, we’re gonna hold guys accountable, and then from there, we’ll figure it out.”
Since free agency began, general manager Rob Pelinka has not made any roster changes up to this point. It is more likely that this current iteration of the Lakers will be intact on opening night, but regardless of who wears the purple and gold, nothing matters if players are not held accountable.
Nonetheless, Davis is demonstrating leadership qualities that front office members are looking for as James nears the end of his career. This upcoming season will feature a heavier responsibility for Davis in terms of being a vocal leader and he looks like he is ready for that challenge.
While contending for a championship is going to be an uphill climb for the Lakers as Western Conference teams have made improvements to their rosters this summer while L.A. has yet to do anything, the team always has a chance when Davis and James are healthy and that will be the case once again.
Austin Rivers’ take on Lakers after watching LeBron James & Anthony Davis
A drawback to the Lakers not making improvements around the margins is that both LeBron James and Anthony Davis played extra this summer, representing USA in the Olympics. If one or both of them miss extended time during the Lakers’ season because of that, it could become a tall task to stay above water.
However, Austin Rivers believes that the Lakers aren’t that far off from being title contenders after watching L.A.’s two stars play on Team USA. While it’s hard to disagree with that take, it also makes it that much more imperative that the Lakers get their stars the help they need to actually compete.
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