After a dispiriting end to his 2020-21 campaign, Anthony Davis is preparing for what he hopes will be a bounce-back season.
Most of Davis’ season was riddled with injuries, primarily lower-leg ones. He played in 36 regular-season games, a career low. Those injuries persisted in the playoffs, and they played a key part in the Los Angeles Lakers’ first-round elimination.
But going into this season, Davis should be in for another All-Star campaign if he can stay healthy. Los Angeles will have a healthy LeBron James, and newly acquired star Russell Westbrook is primed to assist James and Davis in multiple departments.
As for where Davis stands in the talented group of NBA players going into next season, NBA.com Canada ranked Davis as the 10th-best player in the league:
Like clockwork, AD lands at No. 10, the same place he was ranked in March.
The injury bug bit Davis and the Lakers hard last season, as the superstar forward missed half of a possible 72 regular-season games before returning ahead of the postseason, where he suffered a groin injury in LA’s first-round loss to the Phoenix Suns.
After a full offseason of rehab and recovery, Davis will look to bounce back to the form he showed during the 2020 NBA Restart, where he won the first NBA title of his career.
The ranking, which is based on a point system used by the site’s staff, had Davis edging out Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler for a spot in the top 10.
Davis’ running mate, James, was the third-best player, trailing only Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks and Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets.
It’s a big if, but if Davis can remain relatively healthy throughout the regular season, he has the surrounding talent to rediscover his dominant ways, which has teammates like Malik Monk excited.
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