The Los Angeles Lakers fell to 25-28 after Thursday’s last-second loss to the Clippers, meaning the team would be stuck in the play-in tournament if the playoffs began today. That is a far cry from where the team expected to be at this point of the season.
The Lakers’ struggles appear to be having an impact on Anthony Davis in particular. Davis was candid after Thursday’s loss, admitting that winning a title in his first year with the team “spoiled” him and that he is determined not to fall into a similar situation that he faced in New Orleans.
“I just want to win,” Davis told Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times. “I’ve had seasons where I’ve lost a lot in New Orleans. And it weighed on me. And then I came here and I got spoiled with winning my first year. Second year, we go to the playoffs and I feel like we could’ve still been successful if I didn’t have the injury. And this year, everyone counted us out. Said we were old. The whole locker room, we’ve got guys who have chips on their shoulders.
“But for me personally, I just want to win. I don’t want to go back to having losing seasons.”
Davis made it to the playoffs just twice with New Orleans and only got past the first round once. After winning the championship in his first season with the Lakers, he likely anticipated that he and LeBron James would be perennial contenders. Instead, injuries have hindered the team, and they did not get out of the first round in the 2021 postseason.
Davis is still only 28, but he’s been plagued by injuries and the team he’s playing on isn’t getting any younger. Combine that with lingering chatter about LeBron James’ future and it’s understandable that some uncertainty may creep in. Between the losses and the inability to stay healthy, Davis’ frustration seemed to boil over a bit with this sort of honest admission.
Photo: Dec 18, 2020; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) against the Phoenix Suns during a preseason game at Phoenix Suns Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
