Anthony Davis has had an excellent 2023-24 season and Los Angeles Lakers legend James Worthy believes it is the best of his career.
"This is the best season I've ever seen AD have in his career," Worthy said.
Worthy made that comment after Davis recorded 22 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 6 blocks in a 116-97 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday. The 31-year-old has been having a big impact on both ends of the floor all season and the outing against the Cavaliers was just yet another example of that.
For the season, Davis is now averaging 24.7 points, 12.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.2 steals, and 2.4 blocks per game. The nine-time All-Star has been relatively healthy in this campaign, having played 73 out of 78 games, and I would say it is a big reason why he has played so well.
As for whether this is the best season of Davis' career, I would disagree with Worthy there. His 2017-18 campaign with the New Orleans Pelicans still sits at the top of the list for me.
Davis averaged 28.1 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.5 steals, and 2.6 blocks per game in that season. He finished third in voting for MVP and DPOY as well. Davis also made the All-NBA First Team and NBA All-Defensive First Team in that campaign.
As good as Davis has been this season, he was just better for the Pelicans back then, I believe. That campaign and then the 2019-20 season led to some thinking he could be the best player in the NBA one day. While Davis has not managed to hit those heights, he has been playing at an extremely high level.
James Worthy Believed Anthony Davis Would Step Up When LeBron James Is Out Of The Picture
Davis signed a three-year, $186 million extension with the Lakers prior to the season and it was a big show of faith in him from the organization. While some questioned the decision, Worthy backed Davis to step up for the Lakers when LeBron James is out of the picture.
"We know LeBron is not gonna be around that much longer," said Lakers legend James Worthy. "That's why it is nice to have a player like AD, someone you can go around and someone who I think should be the number one guy right now. LeBron's going to do what he does, we know that, but I think with LeBron out of the picture, I think AD’s the guy, and I think he will step up and answer the call.”
Davis has certainly shown that Worthy was right to believe in him. Prior to this season, the big man had a whole lot of criticism come his way for not being able to stay healthy and being very inconsistent out on the court. Davis was supposed to be the one leading the team with LeBron getting up there in age, but his older teammate was still having to carry the load.
Things have finally changed this season. While James has still been a force, Davis is certainly the most important player for the Lakers, with how influential he has been on both ends. He is a big reason why the team has started to turn things around and is now the eighth seed in the Western Conference with a 45-33 record.
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