Anthony Davis seems frustrated with his role, and a simple free agency option could have solved the issues he has.
There are plenty of issues facing the Los Angeles Lakers so far this season, so giving Anthony Davis the exact role that he’s comfortable in probably falls down the priority list a few rungs. After all, he is an All-Star and should be able to play virtually whatever role the Lakers need.
That said, getting your star players in the optimal position is never a bad thing, and Davis seems frustrated with his role.
Davis, speaking to the media, said this:
“I was playing the four then, Javale [McGee] was playing the five and Dwight [Howard] was playing the five… Now when I’m the five, I’m the one in action.” He went on to say, “Still can do it. Still have to do it,” in regards to play center.
While the quote is being spun as Davis calling out the front office for not getting big men on the roster, that may not exactly be fair. If you listen to the full clip above, Davis took responsibility for defensive lapses and said he needed to be better within the context of the role he has, full stop.
That doesn’t absolve the front office from leaving stones unturned, and one option that would put Davis in a better position to succeed is saying himself that he told the Lakers he was available.
Dwight Howard says he was open to signing with Lakers
On Shannon Sharpe’s podcast, Howard said he was open to returning to the Lakers:
“I been willing to go back. They told me every time we not gon’ give nobody over 30 [years old] a contract, a multiple year contract.” He went on to say: “Whatever they asked me to do, I did it. I came in, I played my role to the T, I didn’t complain about it.”
Howard seemed to be referencing first the season after the 2020 bubble title, but him saying “every time” indicates he was open now as well. Howard signed with a Taiwan basketball team just recently, so one could assume he’d rather play in the states instead of overseas.
Damian Jones and Thomas Bryant are the two centers on the time beneath Davis as the starting center on the depth chart.
Davis needs to figure out his role on his own, but you can’t deny that the roster makeup doesn’t exactly accentuate his skills or put him in a position to succeed at the highest level. Howard would have done a lot to move in that direction.