Los Angeles Lakers big man Anthony Davis has been described as one of the NBA’s best superstars and even a unicorn. But he has also been much-maligned for being injury-prone and supposedly lazy.
Never mind that he averaged 25.9 points and 12.5 rebounds a game while shooting 56.3% from the field during the regular season last year and leading the league in rebounds and blocked shots per game in the playoffs.
If Davis lacked motivation and passion in the last couple of seasons, he has every reason to be locked in and fired up this year. The Lakers are legitimate championship contenders. Head coach Darvin Ham says he is physically and emotionally healthy this season, not to mention hungry.
Darvin Ham on Anthony Davis: "The thing that I'm tickled by is the joy you see in his face as he's playing. I see a lot of joy in his face. His body is feeling good. He's feeling good about his game. He's put in a lot of work this summer. He's hungry as ever, he and Bron both.…
— Michael Corvo (@michaelcorvoNBA) October 8, 2023
Davis looked sharp and in shape in the team’s preseason opener on Saturday, scoring 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting and grabbing five rebounds in just 13 minutes. Even better, he hit 2-of-3 from 3-point range, which seemed to confirm reports that he looked impressive with his outside shot during an unofficial team mini-camp that LeBron James recently held.