New HC Darvin Ham: Anthony Davis is 'biggest factor' for Lakers

New Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham understands how crucial Anthony Davis is to his team.

Last season, Davis played in just 40 regular-season contests after appearing in only 36 in 2020-21. Compare that to the 62 games that he was featured in during L.A.’s title run in 2020 and you’ll begin to see why the Lakers struggled so badly last season.

This week, Ham addressed Davis’ importance.

“With AD, I would say he’s the biggest factor,” Ham told NBA insider Marc Spears. “I’m looking forward to him having a huge year this year. I know the way we’re going to play is going to benefit him.

“The way I’m going to take care of him, make sure we take care of him, it’s going to benefit him. That size, that skill set, that approach. What you saw in the bubble, we’re bringing that back.

“And again, we got to make sure we take care of him, meet all of his needs physically and make sure he’s in a good space mentally, spiritually, but he’s the factor. This s– ain’t going to work without AD being right.”

The Lakers need Davis to get right and lead them to success in 2022-23. Ham desperately needs the 29-year-old to showcase some heart and resiliency.

If Davis is able to do that next season, a lot of his past issues will be forgotten. But if he can’t, expect the criticism to only intensify from this point forward.