With Team USA recently securing gold at the Paris Olympics, basketball fans are now excited about the upcoming NBA season. Never one to miss out on trending topics, Gilbert Arenas jumped in on the discussion. The 42-year-old turned his attention to the future of the Los Angeles Lakers’ dynamic duo, Anthony Davis and LeBron James, weighing in on what lies ahead for the superstar pair.
On Gil’s Arena, Arenas kicked things off with his thoughts on King James’ domination at the Olympics. He believes that the 4x champion’s extraordinary performances in France wouldn’t take a toll on his physical condition.
When it came to Davis, the three-time All-Star had a much more optimistic tone. He was convinced that AD’s summer has set him up for the upcoming campaign like never before.
The Lakers star’s stint with Team USA kept him in shape throughout the NBA off-season. Arenas argued that this could be crucial in keeping the injury-prone 31-year-old healthy next season,
“I think with Anthony Davis, I think sometimes too much rest hurts you, right?… Right now, he would probably take a week off, then he has to rev back up. So his body is priming. It’s healthy… I think it helps because you won’t have those little knickknacks he usually has that keeps him out”.
Considering the injury history of both players, Arenas’ remarks seemed justified. For context, James has rarely missed the NBA’s allowed 17 games per season throughout his career. It wasn’t until he approached his mid-30s that his knee and ankle issues began getting the better of him. He still managed these recurring problems effectively to keep himself active in the regular season.
The same couldn’t be said about Davis. The Chicago-born has missed over 65 games a season seven times in 12 years. His availability saw a massive drop, particularly since he joined the Lakers. The 9x All-Star has featured in only 270 games for his current franchise, averaging an underwhelming 54 games a season.
However, there might be a silver lining for AD and Lakers fans in the coming season. The 6ft 10 center has been managing himself better lately. For instance, he missed only six games during the last regular season. This also marked his career high for games played.
Davis has also done remarkably well in the seasons following his time with Team USA. He averaged 13.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game in his 2012/13 rookie season after winning gold in the 2012 Olympics.
AD soon led the nation to gold in the 2014 FIBA World Cup. He was then able to elevate his game in the season that followed. The then-New Orleans Pelicans youngster averaged 24.4 points, and 10.2 rebounds per game that time around. These performances also earned his second NBA Blocks Leader accolade after leading the league with 2.9 blocks per game.
Arenas seems to have set realistic expectations for Lakers fans. But a grueling NBA regular season is much different from a one-month-long Olympic campaign. Davis will consequently need to manage his health well to stay at the top of his game.
