Anthony Davis’ tenure with the Lakers led to a 2020 NBA title among plenty of individual success. However, he was never able to fully become the face of the franchise. Despite LeBron James continuing to age, Davis constantly fell to second-fiddle. As a result, it led to the Lakers trading him to Luka Doncic, who has the expectations of taking the torch from LeBron as the face of the team.
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Former Wizards star Gilbert Arenas pointed out the key factor that allowed a player like Kobe Bryant to become the face of the team and not AD. Arenas took to his Gil’s Arena podcast to debate on the topic of Davis’ inability to be the Lakers‘ franchise cornerstone. According to him, that it had anything to do with AD’s skillset. Instead, he pointed toward the difference in mindset.
Arenas was blunt in his assessment, although it did come across a bit harsh since he overlooked the fact that Davis endured an injury-plagued phase from 2020-2022. That should have been the period when Davis had the best chance to showcase his ability to become indispensable for the Lakers. However, that wasn’t to be as all the responsibility fell on LeBron, who naturally did not disappoint.
Combine his repeated absences with him not being as marketable to the masses as LeBron or Luka to become the face of the Lakers and it became clear to Rob Pelinka’s front office he would not lead the purple and gold post James’ retirement.
Arenas was quoted as saying –
“You think we’re going to be sitting here telling [Kobe Bryant] to take the keys? No, they would’ve been took them motherf***ers. Either you want it or you don’t. There’s no giving it to you. You have to take it.”
LeBron is ready to hand the Lakers’ keys over to Luka 🤝 pic.twitter.com/wpgy1PpyL8
— Gilbert Arenas (@GilsArenaShow) February 9, 2025
The three-time All-Star doesn’t believe in the notion of a player being given the keys to a franchise. He stated that Anthony Davis should’ve taken it from LeBron. His point of reference was Kobe Bryant not settling as the second option behind Shaquille O’Neal and taking the keys as the face of the franchise.
Although Davis has been a great player, he has never lived up to the lofty expectations. It wasn’t until this season that Davis became the player the Lakers were envisioning for the past few seasons.
Anthony Davis failed to take over as the Lakers’ best player
Since the Lakers’ 2020 title, the franchise hoped Davis would rise as the team’s best player. That never came to fruition until the 2024-25 NBA season. However, it was a little too late, as the team couldn’t decline an offer to receive a 25-year-old Luka Doncic.
It wasn’t just the team’s front office that wanted AD to step into a bigger role. LeBron was a big supporter of Davis being the lead player for the Lakers. The 10-time All-Star’s health prevented him from flourishing between 2021-2023.
Fortunately for the Lakers, they now have one of the best players in the NBA to lead their team in the post-LeBron era. Doncic has the opportunity to do even greater things than what LeBron and AD achieved during their tenure in Los Angeles.
