The Los Angeles Lakers are in danger of missing the playoffs if they can’t somehow reverse their downward spiral, and Bill Simmons feels a common theme has emerged with teams that come up short. That theme is Anthony Davis.
In the latest episode of his podcast, Simmons pointed out that Davis has a lot at stake personally if the Lakers miss the playoffs.
“(If the Lakers miss the playoffs) AD will have missed the playoffs 6 out of 10 years,” Simmons said, via Reddit. “You look at the other guys who are really good in the league … Giannis (Antetokounmpo) is never missing the playoffs if he is healthy. Neither is (Nikola) Jokic. We are finding out this year it doesn’t matter who is on his team.”
Davis played on some terrible New Orleans Pelicans teams before he was traded to the Lakers, but Simmons has a point. There have been plenty of star players who carried bad teams to the postseason. Injuries have played a big role, but Davis hasn’t put many teams on his back even when healthy.
Davis is once again battling an injury, and he may be out for quite a while. The Lakers have played poorly without him. They fell to 28-36 with a loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night. They’re currently the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference, but they are fading quickly.
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
