Anthony Davis is poised for a huge bounce-back season

Only eight humans in the history of the world have won an NCAA championship, an NBA championship, and an Olympic gold medal. Anthony Davis is one of those humans.

After leading Kentucky to its 8th national title, Davis and his unibrow lit up the sports world, appearing on late-night TV shows and beating out James Harden for the Olympic team. After serving out his time with the Pelicans, Davis orchestrated his trade to Hollywood where he won the 2020 NBA championship in the Disney bubble.

Along the way, he racked up eight All-Star appearances, four All-NBA team First Team selections, four NBA All-Defensive team selections, a spot on the NBA 75th Anniversary team, and just for fun, he graced the cover of NBA2K…twice.

There is no questioning Anthony Davis’ place in NBA legend status, but in the harsh modern world of what-have-you-done-for-me-lately, unfair criticism is as prominent as his unibrow.

Somewhere, John Calipari feels his pain.

Since winning the title in 2020, Davis played in just 36 regular season games the following season and 40 games in the most recent season. His lack of on-court time likely contributed to the Lakers missing the playoffs, something for which spoiled Los Angeles fans have limited patience.

The reason? Injuries.

Is Anthony Davis injury prone or just unlucky?

If you pull up Anthony Davis’ injury history, you could find yourself scrolling for a while. Davis has only played more than 70 games twice in his 10-year career. In total, he has averaged 60.4 regular season games per year, with the previous two seasons being his fewest, at 36 and 40.

Fans and experts alike toss around the term “injury prone” a little too nonchalantly. The number of guys who are truly unlucky far exceeds the players unusually susceptible to getting hurt. There is a reason M. Night Shyamalan’s character, Mr. Glass, is fictional.

Davis agrees:

“The real basketball guys know that there’s nothing I could’ve done in these situations….I could wear shoes that come up to my knees. There’s not one player in the world who could step on somebody’s foot from the air and not roll your ankle. It doesn’t matter the shoe. You step on somebody’s foot, you’re going to roll your ankle.”

Los Angeles Times

The latest injuries have not been minor

Thankfully, Anthony Davis has not suffered a major injury that would force him to sit out an entire season like what DeMarcus Cousins has faced on multiple occasions. However, the injuries he has sustained have not been the type that your uncomfortably aggressive Little League coach can remedy by rubbing them with dirt either.

After injuring his calf two seasons ago, Davis tried to play through it in the playoffs but re-injured himself. Last season, back-to-back knee and ankle injuries sidelined him more than he would have liked.

Davis spoke out about the no-win situation injuries often put him in:

“This is what I’ve learned about injuries: Last year when I wasn’t playing, people were saying ‘AD’s giving up on his team. It’s the playoffs. AD has to play. He’s got to play.’ And when I went out there to play, got hurt again, they said, ‘Who was his trainer? Who let him play?’

So, what the [expletive] do you want me to do? When I play, it’s a problem. It’s a problem when I don’t play. At the end of the day, I’ve got to do what’s best for me and how my body feels. And we go from there. I’m not worried about who’s saying what or who thinks this about me because none of them have stepped on the floor and played. And the ones that did play, they should understand.

These aren’t little ticky-tack injuries.”

Los Angeles Times

Anthony Davis is finally getting the healing time required

COVID-19 mangled the NBA season in recent years and it is just now getting back on track. Additionally, if you consider the fact the Los Angles Lakers won the NBA title in October of 2020, the condensed offseason left Davis minimal time for his body to recoup and rejuvenate.

Due to his recent string of injuries, he has only played three games since February 16, 2022, giving him the rest that all athletes of his caliber require. Now that he is fully healthy, Davis is making the most of his extended free time. According to Kendrick Perkins:

“Anthony Davis has been getting up at 4:00 in the morning, getting in workouts, getting in 3-a-days. Anthony Davis is in phenomenal shape.”

Kendrick Perkins on ESPN

On top of that, Davis is just 29 years old. He will turn 30 this season, and while that is a daunting age for NFL running backs, it is often the prime for elite NBA superstars. It would not surprise me if we see Anthony Davis hit the court in October in the best shape of his life.

Anthony Davis is motivated

As your goofy uncle might say, the Los Angeles Lakers is what they is. LeBron James is still phenomenal, but also approaching 40. Russell Westbrook has not been a good fit for that team (or most teams in his career, frankly), and when you combine that with an injured Anthony Davis and a sub-par supporting cast, it is not surprising the Lake Show missed the playoffs last season.

The Western Conference is going to be stacked this season, so don’t look for the Lakers to run away with it, but expect Anthony Davis to be the player who puts the team on his back and tries. The quotes above about his frustration with recent criticism make him sound like a man out for blood.

Again, Kendrick Perkins agrees with this sentiment:

“Anthony Davis has been hearing all the noise, all the chatter…So when I look at Anthony Davis, and I look at Darvin Ham, a coach who is going to put a key in his back; I look at Rasheed Wallace over there as an assistant coach; I’ve got Anthony Davis winning the MVP.”

Kendrick Perkins on ESPN

MVP might be a lofty expectation, but in the final three games he played last season while injured, he averaged 24 points, 11.3 rebounds, five assists, and had one game with three blocks. Those are close to MVP-caliber numbers.

If he can build off that as a fully healthy and motivated superstar in top shape, I can see him channeling the same energy he showed after Kentucky beat Louisville in the 2012 Final Four, running around the court screaming, “This is my stage!”