Is Anthony Davis playing tonight? A look at Lakers superstar's availability vs Suns | 2024 NBA preseason
Anthony Davis will suit up for the LA Lakers in their preseason game against the Phoenix Suns at the Acrisure Arena, Palm Springs on Sunday (Oct. 6). After sitting out in the preseason opener vs the Minnesota Timberwolves, the 9x NBA All-Star will feature as the team's center as LA look to ramp up their intensity and fine-tune their game plans ahead of the regular season.
Davis' availability was confirmed by Lakers head coach JJ Redick, with LeBron James suiting up with him as LA will field their lineup of D'Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, James, Rui Hachimura, and Davis. It will be interesting to see how Redick uses the big as the hub of their offense against a solid Suns team.
The big has made it clear about his title aspirations when he spoke to reporters on Media Day. He also added that he was comfortable with Redick's plans of being the focal point of the team's offense.
Whether he shoots more 3s this season after being asked to is something that will be observed throughout the season, Davis suiting up hints at his and LA's sense of intent to get into the groove early on before their season opener against the Wolves.
Can Anthony Davis repeat his last season's successful run as Lakers enter as title hopefuls?
Anthony Davis showed what he was capable of when healthy as he led the LA Lakers to the playoffs last season. He averaged 24.7 points, 12.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 76 games this past season, and was a leading candidate for the Defensive Player of the Year honors, finishing fourth in the voting.
The center later had a productive summer for Team USA with teammate James as the duo led the national team to another gold medal. This will be the first time Davis will be playing under Redick as he enters his 13th season in the league.
A healthy Davis will be the difference for the Lakers this season. Expectations from the center are at an all-time high after his success from last season, and if the rest of the LA side plays their roles to perfection, this could be one of the teams that could have the same title run as they did in 2020.
The Lakers are looking for another title in the James-Davis era, and with a potential-laden coach in Redick, they will hope that Anthony Davis can be the force he's shown to be.