By: Ryan Stein
The 2021-2022 NBA season was a turbulent one for the Los Angeles Lakers, to put it lightly. A team with championship aspirations heading into the year, Los Angeles ended up being the league's most underachieving team, missing the playoffs as the Western Conference's 11-seed. While the fit and age of the roster was iffy from the start, perhaps the biggest reason why the Lakers faltered as much as they did is because of the on-court unavailability of superstar Anthony Davis. Davis' stats were solid, but he only managed to play 40 games this past season. He is a player who is not on a lot of people's radars at the moment, but I believe he's poised for a huge season. With a significant amount of time to recover from his injuries and work his way back into shape, Anthony Davis will have an excellent 2022-2023 season, reinserting himself into the MVP discussion.
Welcome back to Far-Fetched Friday, where every Friday we give you a bold prediction that we believe will come to fruition. This Friday, we look at the reemergence of Anthony Davis and the Lakers.
There are legitimate reasons to be concerned about Davis' future productivity. He's only played in 76 of a possible 154 games the past two seasons, for one. It cannot be easy to get into a real rhythm with your game when you are sidelined as frequently as he has been recently. He also has to acclimate himself with the schemes of new Lakers coach Darvin Ham, though a player with as much experience as AD should be able to adapt without too much trouble.
It's important to remember that despite having been in the league for a decade already, Anthony Davis is still only 29-years old.
It's highly unlikely that he will start any sort of decline, especially considering he was quite impressive when he was able to play last year. He should have a chip on his shoulder as he fights off doubts the NBA media and fans have not only about himself, but his team as a whole. Not only will he be eager to prove everyone wrong, but he will certainly have even more opportunity to produce, especially with his ever-impressive teammate LeBron James approaching his 38th birthday and Russell Westbrook having an uncertain future with the Lakers. Outside of those two players, there isn't anyone on Los Angeles' roster that will take away touches from AD. All in all, Anthony Davis will not just have a solid bounce back season; he will show everyone why he was a top contender to the MVP award just a few seasons ago.
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