No more Brow-beating: Anthony Davis must step up for the LA Lakers this season
Anthony Davis, aka "The Brow," should be hurting; not necessarily in the sense of the injury that cost the LA Lakers a first-round exit in the 2021 postseason versus the Phoenix Suns. Davis did suffer a groin injury during Game 4 of the series. This caused him to miss Game 5 and play only five minutes in the closeout Game 6. The injury came after Davis played only 36 games in the 2020-21 regular season, a calf injury, among a host of other injuries, keeping him out for as many as two whole months.
No. Anthony Davis should be hurting because this was an opportunity lost. Had Davis been fit, it is reasonably safe to assume that the Lakers, who were leading 2-1 against the Suns at one point, would have gone on to the next round.
With the same stroke of luck that favored the Suns in their Finals run (injuries to the Nuggets’ and Clippers’ star players), the Lakers would have been heavy favorites to make their second consecutive Finals appearance in as many years. Instead, with Davis hobbled, the Lakers crashed and burned in the first round.
Anthony Davis: More questions than answers
Injuries happen in sport and so it is no big deal that Anthony Davis had health-related struggles all through 2020-21. This was always going to be the case with the Lakers experiencing an extremely short turnaround following their 2020 NBA Championship win in the Orlando bubble and the quick start to the 2020-21 NBA season.
But truth be told, Anthony Davis has always had injury struggles. Barring 2016-17 and 2017-18, where he played 75 games in each of those two NBA seasons, Davis has never played more than 68 games in the other seven seasons of his nine-year NBA career. In his rookie season itself, he missed 18 games with New Orleans because of various injuries.
Then there is the question of what has Anthony Davis achieved without LeBron James? It is a valid query, given that Davis has made only two playoff appearances (2015 and 2018) without James. He has won only one NBA series, against Portland in the first round of the 2018 Playoffs, as the alpha star on his team. His overall playoff record sans James is 5-8, which improved dramatically to 18-8 with The King.
Anthony Davis’ peers surging ahead
Contrast Anthony Davis’ fortunes with his peers. Davis was the first overall pick of the 2012 NBA Draft class. But even from his own draft class, one can build a solid argument that Damian Lillard, who won Rookie of the Year ahead of Davis, has achieved more as an alpha star.
Lillard has been the main player on his Portland team and has some iconic playoff moments to his credit. Lillard did not have LeBron James by his side, but still managed to lift the Trail Blazers to a Western Conference Finals appearance.
Then there is Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was drafted 15th overall in the 2013 NBA Draft class. Antetokounmpo now has two back-to-back MVP awards (2019, 2020) and a DPOY award to go along with his 2021 Larry O’Brien Trophy and Finals MVP Award. Davis, while being a great two-way player, has neither of the individual accolades that Antetokounmpo has stacked up.
Nikola Jokic was drafted in 2014 and just won his first league MVP (2020-21) while being the main player on the Denver Nuggets roster. The Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid is from the same draft class as Jokic. Embiid, too, put in an MVP-run of his own last season and has cemented his place as the franchise player for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Anthony Davis, who came into the league with far more anticipation around his game, has probably disappointed compared to the developments of Lillard, Antetokounmpo, Jokic and Embiid. Neither of the last four names is a number one pick. Davis is. With that kind of hype, comes more expectations to deliver, more expectations to dominate.
This is Anthony Davis’ big moment
This could be a watershed moment for Anthony Davis. There is no doubting his ability. LeBron James walked away with the 2020 Finals MVP, but there are many who argued that it was Davis who should have won that award. Davis had the overall highest +/- for any Lakers’ player in the 2020 Finals versus Miami. When Davis played poorly in the Finals, the Lakers lost. When he played well, they won.
Anthony Davis needs to act now. Being the youngest of the three stars now on the Lakers’ roster following Russell Westbrook's arrival, Davis is entering what should be the prime of his NBA career at the age of 28. He should strive to be the alpha star on this Lakers team.
Davis is more talented than Westbrook and is almost a decade younger than James. He needs to add the missing individual accolades – league MVP, DPOY, scoring champion – to his resume and lead the Lakers’ charge this season. Another lost season due to injury or anything short of a dominating performance would only embolden his critics.
The time is now for Anthony Davis. He needs to go the carpe diem route and seize the moment.
Also read: 3 LA Lakers players who underperformed in the 2020-21 NBA season