The Los Angeles Lakers secured the future of their franchise in August as they agreed to a lucrative three-year extension with star Anthony Davis.
Davis has been touted as the next face of the franchise after LeBron James retires and they made sure of that reality by signing him to a deal that keeps him tied to the franchise until the 2027-28 season.
Entering the 2023-24 NBA season, the Lakers are widely considered to be one of the few teams that can genuinely compete for this year’s championship.
James and Davis are both healthy after spending the offseason rehabbing from foot injuries and will need to carry the load on both ends once again.
It’s nearly impossible to fathom that James remains one of the best players in the league still, but the transition of leadership from him to Davis has been apparent.
In order for Los Angeles to win it all, Davis will need to be the leader of the team and Dennis Scott believes that he’ll need to perform at an MVP level to give the purple and gold a chance via NBA TV.
“AD, you have to,” Scott said.
" 'AD', you have to." @Dennis3DScott believes AD can compete for MVP this season 👀 pic.twitter.com/9k74oxudbd
— NBA TV (@NBATV) October 6, 2023
There’s never been any sort of denial of Davis’ talents and abilities as he is one of the best two-way players of his generation.
He has drawn criticism in the past for seemingly flowing in and out of games, but when he’s engaged he’s a legitimate game-changer on both ends.
Davis has been adamant that he’s committed to stepping up as a leader and spearheading the Lakers’ championship quest, so it should be interesting to see how he fares.
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