Los Angeles Lakers superstar big man Anthony Davis has drawn a considerable amount of criticism over the past two seasons.
In addition to being injury-prone, his naysayers claim he is soft, lazy and lacking motivation and fire.
But Davis has been putting in a good amount of work lately, as he has been training with Chris Matthews, otherwise known as “Lethal Shooter,” a renowned shooting coach.
Although most of the big man’s numbers across the board were higher in 2022 than they were in 2021, his 3-point shooting and free throw percentages actually fell.
But Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka feels Davis is not only doing the work he needs to but that he is highly motivated to do better on the court.
“He’s bought in, and I think he’s quietly put together one of the biggest offseasons of his career,” Pelinka said of Davis. “You can just tell. He’s got a very serious tone about him. Last year didn’t unfold the way that any of us wanted, and I think everyone’s gonna come back with a chip on our shoulder, and AD’s gonna lead us with that. I think he’s working hard. I know he’s working really hard on his body. Just excited to see what he’s gonna do.”
A healthy, spry and aggressive Davis will be a huge key to how well L.A. does this coming season, and new head coach Darvin Ham has said so publicly.
The work that the University of Kentucky product has been putting in could have him poised for a huge season if he avoids significant injury.
