The Los Angeles Lakers are the joint-most successful franchise in NBA history with 17 championships. They signed LeBron James and Anthony Davis as franchise players to help the team win more championships. Anthony Davis is now entering his fourth season with the purple and gold. However, despite winning a championship in 2020, a report suggests that the Lakers were skeptical last season if they made the right decision to sign Anthony Davis.
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Anthony Davis is undoubtedly one of the top players in the NBA and has a lot of talent at his disposal. However, injuries have marred his Lakers career in the past few seasons. The Lakers gave up Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, and draft picks in order to get their hands on Davis. All of these players are arguably having good careers outside the Lakers.
“Apart from missing more games that he played in for the Lakers the last two seasons, there was a sentiment within the team’s front office last season that Davis didn’t look like the franchise player they thought they had coming off the 2020 championship, sources said,” wrote ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
Report: There was sentiment in Lakers front office last season that Anthony Davis didn’t look like franchise player team once thought he was https://t.co/b5vUxy7dOl
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) October 16, 2022
The recent report of the Los Angeles Lakers taking note of Davis’ career as a franchise player at the Lakers has gone viral on social media. NBA fans trolled Davis, majorly due to his injury struggles with the Lakers.
NBA Twitter reacts to report on Anthony Davis
For a while, everyone thought that the Lakers had a strong team in place when they won the championship in 2020. However, everything seemed to have been falling apart since then. Davis has been struggling with injuries, while Westbrook is possibly yet to settle in with the team following his performances last season.
Here are some of the reactions from NBA Twitter:
He’s the real problem in LA but no one wants to say it. Bones made out of styrofoam. https://t.co/iVUrKNFxa5
— #GOVOLS 2022 (@EntrepreneurVOL) October 16, 2022
AD is washed
— Destro (@LakeShowDestro) October 16, 2022
— 🐸💍 (@HonestABFan) October 16, 2022
he's a fraud
— BISCAYNE BUCKETS 🐍 (@WadeBLVDszn) October 16, 2022
Tbh I think AD the problem he’s soft asf https://t.co/agBA04e1QP
— peja⭐️ (@talknice_) October 16, 2022
That’s true and kinda been the most disappointing part about this stretch with him https://t.co/skeMfDaeJk
— D.O.C (@darwinchvz320) October 16, 2022
It’s pretty obvious..and it’s why the Laker front office isn’t willing to sell off both of those highly regarded future assets right now
Laker fans have a hard time putting together the puzzle pieces though https://t.co/FXnoFVE3G8
— JP – The Wholesome Truth Teller (@jay_pea619) October 16, 2022
He not lol . Be a soft cookie boy , we need to trade him and Russ https://t.co/QOg1OivQf9
— God’s Jiggiest Servant. 🌹🚁 (@ObaMayowaa) October 17, 2022
Trynna tell folks AD being the #2 to bron is the problem that doesn’t get talked about enough https://t.co/LFR6czturK
— Ralph (@ThePullUpKing1) October 16, 2022
Sentiment? Sounds more like a damn fact!!! 🤣 https://t.co/ud5G5nzSJ2
— BG ⚫️ DJ ⚫️ Doc ⚫️ Logo ⚪️ (@LAdesignGuy) October 16, 2022
LeBron James recently signed an extension with the Lakers till 2024-25. However, the clock might be running out for the Lakers to win another championship with him.
Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook will certainly be expected to step up and help the franchise win another championship. LeBron James‘ future is still up in the air despite signing the extension because of his well-known desire to play with his son Bronny before retiring from the league. The earliest that could happen is in 2024 when Bronny is eligible for the draft.
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LeBron James and the Lakers face a familiar foe in the season opener
‘King James’ is set to face Stephen Curry‘s Warriors in the opening game of the new season on October 18. The Lakers ended their pre-season 1-5 after a huge loss at the hands of the Sacramento Kings (133-86). However, they managed to beat the Warriors during the pre-season with Anthony Davis leading the scoring charts in the game with 28 points.
WATCH THIS STORY: Kareem vs LeBron Beef: What Did the Lakers Legend Say About LeBron James?
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While the pre-season results may matter little, the win against the Golden State Warriors last week could be a big confidence booster for the Lakers.
Can the trio of Westbrook, Davis, and James start the new season in style with a win against the Warriors? Let us know in the comments section below.