Since Anthony Davis joined LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in 2019, it’s been a roller coaster ride for the superstar duo. Granted, they won a championship in their first season together, which hides some imperfections.
Davis and James’ struggles aren’t due to their talent, as they’ve proven to be one of the best duos in the entire league. But injuries and management mismanagement have hampered their chances of winning more titles together.
After being eliminated in the first round by the Denver Nuggets last season, LA is looking to make the necessary adjustments to get back in the race. While roster changes are necessary, Davis believes accountability is a critical step to winning a title again, via Joe Vardon of The Athletic:
“The end goal is still to win championships,” Davis said. “You can’t skip steps. The first step is to hold the players accountable. We’re going to show up to work and if something’s not right, we’re going to hold the players accountable and then from there we’ll figure it out.”
Since the start of free agency, general manager Rob Pelinka has made no changes to the roster so far. It’s more likely that this current iteration of the Lakers will be intact on opening night, but no matter who wears the purple and gold, nothing matters if the players aren’t held accountable.
Still, Davis is showing leadership qualities that management is looking for as James nears the end of his career. The upcoming season will see Davis take on more responsibility in terms of vocal leadership, and he appears ready to take on that challenge.
While the championship fight is going to be an uphill climb for the Lakers, with Western Conference teams upgrading their rosters this summer while LA has yet to do anything, the team still has a chance when Davis and James are healthy and that will be the case once again.
Austin Rivers takes measure of Lakers after seeing LeBron James and Anthony Davis
The only downside to the Lakers not making any headway is that LeBron James and Anthony Davis have been playing longer this summer, representing the United States in the Olympics. If one or both miss an extended period of the Lakers’ season because of that, it could become a tough task to stay afloat.
However, Austin Rivers believes Lakers aren’t that far from being title contenders after seeing both LA stars play on Team USA. While it’s hard to disagree with that opinion, it makes it all the more imperative that the Lakers give their stars the help they need to be truly competitive.
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