Recently, Anthony Davis let it be known that he desires nothing but a running mate at the front.
Despite delivering a 117-96 statement victory over their rival Boston Celtics on Thursday night, Anthony Davis made headlines in postgame as he campaigned for a potential addition of a center unit ahead of the Feb. 6 deadline — something that he believes will further elevate him and the Los Angeles Lakers even higher.
This remark by Davis couldn’t gain more nods from L.A. fans, and Danny Green can only vouch for this intriguing request as well by the Los Angeles star.
Danny Green stands as one of the first-hand witnesses of how Davis excelled with a center at his side on the Lakers.
One of the key members of the Lakers’ 2020 title run, Green fully saw how the duo of Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee helped Davis anchor the paint and lessen the heavy load that the superstar big man was carrying.
Playing as a power forward, 2019-20 served as Davis’s best offensive year for the Lakers, averaging 26.1 points on 50.3 percent shooting to go with 9.3 boards, 3.2 assists while having 2.3 rejections per game. With Davis at his natural position at the four, it allowed him to roam freely and be much more flexible in his two-way duties — several major elements that were vital in L.A.’s eventual triumph within the NBA bubble.
And while his numbers are tremendous at the five, it still risked Davis from injuries due to physicality. Since being the team’s center starting 2022, the 31-year-old only managed to log a single healthy regular season last 2023-24 — playing 76 games.
In ESPN’s NBA Today, the retired three-time champion expressed support for his former teammate’s call for a center addition.
“100 percent, the two guys we had on that team Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee are no longer playing any more, they are older and we can’t find anybody to replicate that for that group,” Green said.
“It’s very valuable, it’s very important, he (Davis) is taking too much of the load offensively and defensively where it’s going to wear on him in the playoffs, and to play a guy like Jokic, reigning MVP, it’s going to be a lot for him to handle.”
Dating back from the past offseason, it’s been well known that the Lakers are determined to trade for a center. They have several possible targets in their mind, but the franchise has its eyes set for a marquee trade candidate this year.
In the midst of this interest by the Lakers, Green thinks that they might find a difficult time in identifying the right one to get paired with Davis.
“I just don’t see anything on the market they can get,” Green said. “Who do you go get? Who’s out there that’s valuable that can change this team?
“It may seem easy, they’ll find a big. I don’t see many bigs out there that can match up with Jokic and Joel Embiid.”
Regardless, a center will truly be a huge difference maker for Davis. And the Lakers should be urged to bring one as it could be their final puzzle piece for a potential championship campaign later this year.
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