With LeBron James now back in uniform after missing a month with a right foot tendon injury and D’Angelo Russell likely to return on Wednesday after missing two games with hip soreness, the Los Angeles Lakers are nearing full health.
Backup center Mo Bamba remains out with a sprained ankle, but they seem to have most of their key players healthy enough to play and play well.
Buy Lakers TicketsWith seven games left, the Lakers are 37-38 and in ninth place in the Western Conference. Although they’ve played well since the Russell Westbrook trade, it seems that every time they start to string together some real momentum, they lose to a team they should’ve beaten.
While making the playoffs will be a team effort, former NBA big man and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins said on a recent episode of “First Take” that it mostly falls on Anthony Davis (h/t Sports Illustrated).
.@KendrickPerkins says there is more pressure on Anthony Davis to make a run, not LeBron 👀
"I believe that he is still auditioning for the Los Angeles Lakers to see if [he can] put the franchise in his hands." pic.twitter.com/DHAO3kKkTB
— First Take (@FirstTake) March 27, 2023
“It’s no pressure on LeBron James at all,” said Perkins. “Everything from here on out that he accomplishes, individually and on the team, is icing on the cake. Now when it comes down to who’s under the most pressure, it’s Anthony Davis. We’re talking about a guy that’s 30 years old, that is in his prime, that is averaging 25 and 12, that is not only trying to show the world that he can carry a team this season … but I believe that he is still auditioning for the Los Angeles Lakers.”
Perkins has a point. Although overall, Davis is having arguably the best season of his career, he has had some disappointing games lately, such as his 15-point outing versus the Chicago Bulls on Sunday.
Opposing teams have taken to swarming him with and without the ball, and neither Davis nor his teammates have found a consistent remedy.
But the idea he is “auditioning” for the Lakers sounds absurd. Davis has proven how dominant he is, even if he plays lackluster ball every now and then for a game or two at a time. He is averaging 25.9 points and 12.4 rebounds a game while shooting 56.5 percent from the field, and his rebounding average and shooting percentage are both career highs.
Although Davis has been having lots of trouble hitting free throws down the stretch of close games, his free-throw accuracy of 78.6% is a major improvement over last season, when it was 71.3%.
The return of James, who is dishing 6.9 assists a contest this season, should help Davis be his best self more often.
