Anthony Davis was a forgotten piece of the blockbuster Luka Donsic trade.
Like Luka Doncic, Anthony Davis was a superstar and had to unexpectedly eradicate his life to move to a new team and a new city. In 2020 he was on the course and became the next Los Angeles Lakers. Five years later he was traded for the Dallas Mavericks.
LeBron James wanted to hand over the franchise to Davis later in his career. He wanted to play the role of a sidekick during his teammate Prime, but Davis never snatched the key.
Davis was constantly injured and has been around throughout his career. However, he is unhappy with how the Lakers used him.
Davis is the perfect modern center. He is low physical strength at both ends of the court. He can play in the post, go out, hit three people, and play pick and roll with the security guard.
At his best, Davis is taking part in the debate that he is the best defender in the NBA. He can protect all five positions of the perimeter and paint. One of the only things that keeps him from becoming the greatest center of all time is his dislike of playing positions.
Davis has always wanted to play the power forward position. He spent a lot of time at center for the Lakers, but he thinks it will put unnecessary wear on his body.
Talking to Fox 4, he explained: “I played five, and it wasn’t about me five, four or anything like that. That was playing five in the entire game for the whole season.
“I didn’t do that until my second year in LA. The first year we won, it was Javale and Dwight. Before that, in New Orleans, I was never five years old. I was always four.
“Now, did I play 5s at times in Los Angeles and New Orleans? Absolutely, but I prefer four for the entire season. All the playoffs are about trying to do matchups and offensively.
“But I’ll emphasize that (Jason Kidd), they understand, and I have my trust (to them)”
Judging by that final statement, head coach Kidd appears to be flexing Davis’ wishes, who wants to play with the four of them. It’s probably the right move to keep your superstar happy. Because if Davis doesn’t fully embrace the role in his 13th year, he probably won’t do that.
When he arrived at training camp, concerns emerged about Davis’ playing shape. He has won 15 pounds with the Lakers since last summer.
That may be a concern for the Mavericks who traded Don Sic because his difficulties remained in shape. But Davis spoke to the reporter and said there was nothing to worry about.
He said, “I feel good… I’m usually like 255, 258. I lose weight during the season and then I’m too small so I never want to get weight.
Davis weighed at 268 pounds at training camp, so she drifted 10 pounds at the beginning of the year and returned to last season’s playweight.
If he remains overweight, the Mavericks need to answer some serious questions about how to take care of the players’ bodies.