What’s Anthony Davis’ Mindset?
Anthony Davis, who entered the NBA at age 19, will enter his 10th NBA season next fall as it will be his final season in his twenties before turning 30 next March.
The NBA’s 75th Anniversary team member is entering a period in his career where he is on the back end of his prime. The goal is how much longer can he sustain being the best player he can be.
Looking at other players playing his position, he is going up against Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, 27, who has won back-to-back MVPs, Denver’s Nikola Jokic, 27, who has also won an MVP. Add in Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid, 28, who became the first center to lead the league in scoring this season since Shaquille O’Neal in the 1999-00 season, and those three players are the bar Davis needs to get to, if not higher.
After playing 76 games the last two seasons combined, the biggest question for Davis is how he can find stability and durability on the floor?
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: 2 Trade Packages To Send Anthony Davis To San Antonio Spurs
Especially in the Los Angeles Lakers organization, which has a rich history of players at each position, Davis has the decision of where he wants his career to take him.
Davis can either keep doing what he is doing or get more rings to have a chance for his Lakers’ jersey to be hung in the rafters at Crypto.com arena, similar to the same situation O’Neal and former Lakers’ VP of basketball operations Jerry West had before the team’s three-peat at the turn of the century as O’Neal was entering his late twenties.
Looking at previous centers or power forwards in the organization, O’Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabaar, and Wilt Chamberlain come to mind. Even add in Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol, who both won championships with the Lakers.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: 2 Trade Packages To Send Lakers’ Anthony Davis To San Antonio Spurs
During the time the Lakers won their back-to-back championship in 2009 and 2010, Gasol was right around the age Davis was in his late twenties and played both power forward and center during his career and time in Los Angeles.
This offseason and before the NBA Draft in June, Davis’s mentality is essential to the direction of the franchise as it goes through a head coaching change.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: 2 Trade Packages To Send Lakers’ Anthony Davis To San Antonio Spurs
Ultimately for the Los Angeles Lakers, if they don’t feel Anthony Davis can be part of a championship roster, they will look at possible suitors for Davis.
