The Lakers Need A Plan For Anthony Davis

The Lakers Need a Plan for Anthony Davis: Securing the Future of a Franchise Player

The Los Angeles Lakers are no strangers to high expectations, and with the 2024-2025 NBA season underway, the spotlight is squarely on one of their most talented and crucial players: Anthony Davis. Since being traded to the Lakers in 2019, Davis has been one of the team’s cornerstones, but his tenure in LA has been marked by both brilliance and inconsistency. While he remains one of the most gifted big men in the NBA, the Lakers’ future—and their ability to contend for championships—depends on how they handle Davis’s health, role, and long-term commitment.

As the Lakers look to make another title run, it is clear that they need to devise a comprehensive plan for Davis. The question is not whether Davis can be a key player for the Lakers but rather how they can maximize his impact on the court while mitigating the challenges that have hampered his consistency over the years.

The Talent Is Undeniable

Anthony Davis is a generational talent. Standing at 6’10” with a 7’6” wingspan, Davis is one of the best two-way players in the league. His ability to protect the rim, rebound, and dominate on the offensive end makes him a mismatch for nearly every opponent. When healthy, Davis is a defensive force capable of changing the game on both ends. He is a rare combination of skill, athleticism, and basketball IQ, which is why the Lakers were so eager to acquire him in the first place.

Davis was instrumental in the Lakers’ 2020 NBA Championship win, providing an elite defensive presence and offensive efficiency alongside LeBron James. However, his performances have been erratic in subsequent seasons, with injuries and inconsistency at times holding him back from reaching his full potential. This inconsistency, combined with his injury history, has raised questions about the Lakers’ ability to build a team around him and his long-term place with the franchise.

Injury Concerns and the Need for Management

One of the biggest challenges the Lakers face in crafting a plan for Davis is his injury history. Throughout his career, Davis has dealt with various ailments, including knee, back, and Achilles injuries, along with a lingering history of soft tissue concerns. These injuries have forced him to miss significant time in almost every season, including the 2022-2023 campaign, where he had multiple stretches of being sidelined.

The Lakers cannot ignore Davis’s injury history, and it should be a central part of the team’s plan for him. Given his importance to the team’s success, it is imperative that the franchise manages his workload carefully, ensuring that he is in top form for the most critical moments of the season. In an 82-game season, the Lakers will need to find a way to balance Davis’s availability with his performance, making sure that he is peaking at the right time, particularly during the playoffs.

This could mean a variety of strategies: resting him for back-to-back games, limiting his minutes during the regular season, and possibly focusing on his defense and rebounding duties while preserving him for offensive duties when necessary. While it’s tempting to play him at full capacity for every game, a calculated approach to his health will increase his chances of staying on the floor and playing at a high level when it matters most.

Establishing a Clear Role

Another aspect of the plan for Davis revolves around defining his role within the team. Since joining the Lakers, Davis has often been placed in a variety of positions—sometimes as the focal point of the offense, other times as a complementary piece to LeBron James. At times, the Lakers have experimented with having Davis play more as a center, which takes advantage of his shot-blocking ability and dominance near the rim. However, there have also been moments where he has been pushed to the perimeter, attempting to space the floor with his jump shot, which has proven to be less effective.

The Lakers need to decide how they want to use Davis in the coming seasons. Is he best suited as the team’s primary offensive option or should his focus remain on being the team’s defensive anchor while playing a more passive role offensively? This balance is tricky, as Davis has shown the capability to dominate in both roles, but he has struggled at times to assert himself when not given the ball in the post or pick-and-roll situations.

One potential solution lies in structuring the offense around Davis’s skill set. The Lakers have the luxury of having LeBron James on the roster, who is one of the best playmakers in NBA history. As LeBron ages, the Lakers may need to shift more responsibility to Davis, but they also need to ensure that Davis’s role isn’t too demanding, which could further exacerbate his injury concerns. The ideal situation would be for Davis to act as the team’s defensive and rebounding anchor while LeBron continues to handle the majority of the offensive playmaking. In this role, Davis can focus on scoring efficiently, maintaining his energy for critical moments, and staying healthy over the course of a long season.

Contractual Uncertainty and Long-Term Outlook

The Lakers’ future with Davis is also clouded by his contract situation. While Davis is under contract until 2025, there have been discussions about his long-term future with the franchise. The Lakers have not given any indication that they are looking to move him, but if his injury woes continue or if the team doesn’t reach the level of success they desire, it could lead to a difficult decision regarding his future.

The front office will need to determine whether Davis is a long-term investment or if the team should look to restructure its roster around a younger core. This may involve offering him an extension, especially if the Lakers feel he is integral to their championship aspirations in the coming seasons, or exploring trade opportunities to improve the team’s balance and flexibility. The Lakers must think ahead, ensuring that they are preparing for both the short- and long-term health of their roster.

Building Around Davis: The Need for Complementary Pieces

Finally, the Lakers must consider how best to build a team that complements Davis’s strengths and mitigates his weaknesses. While Davis is an elite player, he needs the right supporting cast to maximize his impact. The Lakers have LeBron, and while LeBron is still playing at an MVP level, he can’t carry the team alone for much longer. The Lakers will need to continue surrounding Davis with quality shooters, ball handlers, and defensive players to take some of the pressure off his shoulders.

Davis’s future in Los Angeles is inextricably linked to the Lakers’ ability to assemble a roster that works synergistically with his unique skill set. By providing him with a solid supporting cast, the Lakers can maximize their chances of winning another title before the inevitable decline of their aging superstar, LeBron James.

Conclusion

Anthony Davis is undoubtedly one of the most talented players in the NBA today, and the Lakers need him to be healthy, engaged, and performing at a high level if they are to contend for championships. However, the Lakers cannot afford to simply rely on Davis’s natural ability; they need a clear, long-term plan that prioritizes his health, defines his role, and surrounds him with the right players to maximize his impact. Only then will the Lakers have the best chance of securing another title with Davis as their cornerstone.