Anthony Davis speaks about the colossal failures the Los Angeles Lakers have suffered post winning the 2020 championships.
Advertisement
Having missed out on the postseason since 2013, the Los Angeles Lakers decided to change things. Back in the summer of 2019, they traded away their entire young core to acquire Anthony Davis.
Pairing the 6-foot-10 forward with LeBron James, the Purple & Gold had a really impressive 2019-2020 season. Concluding the campaign with a 52-19 record, for the first time in a decade, the LA franchise finished the regular season with the best record in the West. Furthermore, LeBron and co. managed to finish their picture-perfect year by lifting the Larry O’Brien trophy.
However, since winning the franchise’s 17th title, things haven’t been looking as good for LAL. The very next year, the then-defending champs barely made it to the playoffs and ended up getting eliminated by the Phoenix Suns in the first round itself.
Also Read: Report Reveals the Lakers’ Unfiltered Thoughts on Often Injured Star
Lakers Nation believed things would be much better when Rob Pelinka and co. constructed a big three of LBJ, AD, and Russell Westbrook this past campaign. Much to everyone’s surprise, that plan was far from successful.
“You have to have your time to look back and reflect”: Anthony Davis
An embarrassing year for the Lakers, Frank Vogel’s boys managed to finish with a horrific 33-49 record, standing 11th in the Western Conference.
Of course, injuries were a big reason behind their failures in both seasons, and that is something The Brow agreed to.
“We come into a season and injuries started to happen. (the) Following season, the same thing. For me, I try not to get too high or too low. I kind of knew that, but it really went into effect the last 2 years.”
The former Kentucky Wildcat further gave an honest admission about their struggles over the past two years. Speaking about the camp’s mentality and how they have learned from it, the 8-time All-Star said:
“When you have (a) great season, you don’t want to come into the next year really high. You wanna be (on an) even keel. When you have a tough season, like the last 2, you don’t wanna get low and (be) down on yourself, where you know you (are) not locked in for the upcoming season or where you felt like a certain way or feeling sorry for yourself. Nobody’s going to feel sorry for you.
Davis added, “As an organization and a team, we learned that. We have to stay even keel, whether we lose the game, whether we win the game, win a championship or not, (we/) you have to have your time to look back and reflect. And then after that, we get back to it and let the work speak for itself.”
Can the Lakers bounce back?
The Lakers were 1-5 in the preseason, suffering losses from the Wolves, the Suns, and the Kings. However, this record doesn’t tell the entire story.
While Russ still doesn’t seem to have gotten his mojo back, Davis and King James look as deadly as ever before.
In the 4 games Bron has played, he managed to put on a show, averaging 15.5 points and 5 rebounds in less than 20 MPG. Whereas, Anthony put up 19.3 points and 9 rebounds on 51% shooting from the field.
Even if Westbrook manages to do the bare minimum he is required to, behind the leadership of LBJ and AD, and with additions like Patrick Beverley, Dennis Schroder, and JTA, the Lakers are pretty stacked. There is no doubt that when healthy, this squad could go on to compete for the title.
So, should the Lakers be realistic or should they be hyped about the 2022-23 season?
