New Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham understands how crucial Anthony Davis is to his team.
Last season Davis played in just 40 outings – only four more than he did in the previous season.
Compare that to the 62 games that he was featured in during L.A.’s title run in 2020 and you’ll begin to see why the Lakers struggled so badly last season.
This week Harm addressed Davis’ importance.
“With AD, I would say he’s the biggest factor,” Ham told NBA insider Marc Spears. “I’m looking forward to him having a huge year this year. I know the way we’re going to play is going to benefit him.
“The way I’m going to take care of him, make sure we take care of him, it’s going to benefit him. That size, that skill set, that approach. What you saw in the bubble, we’re bringing that back.
“And again, we got to make sure we take care of him, meet all of his needs physically and make sure he’s in a good space mentally, spiritually, but he’s the factor. This s– ain’t going to work without AD being right.”
Davis has been in the headlines nonstop over the past few months, but not for anything good. First it was for his sad reaction to rumors that the Lakers were considering trading him. Then it was for him going wild in the club. And who could forget his now-infamous explanation for why he hasn’t been practicing?
Bill Gates’ daughter’s new boyfriend goes viral. https://t.co/D0AAVSjbI6
— Game 7 (@game7__) July 7, 2022
The Lakers need Davis to get right and lead them to success in 2022-23. Ham desperately needs the 29-year-old to showcase some heart and resiliency.
If Davis is able to do that next season, a lot of his past issues will be forgotten.
But if he can’t – expect the criticism to only intensify from this point forward.
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Jennifer Withers Hoey is a former Business Development Manager who transitioned to writing about sports. With valuable connections all over the West Coast, she has used those contacts to break some of the most interesting stories pertaining to the Portland Trail Blazers, Oregon Ducks, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Seattle Supersonics (RIP), and more.
