Upon his arrival in Los Angeles in 2019, Anthony Davis expressed his preference for playing the power forward position. “I like playing the 4. I’m not even going to sugarcoat it. I like playing the 4,” Davis stated at his introductory Lakers press conference. “I don’t really like playing the 5.” This recurring theme has become a familiar one for the Lakers. Each offseason, Davis asserts his desire to play power forward, yet every season begins with him primarily playing center.
As we enter September, the cycle repeats itself. According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, Davis has informed the Lakers that he wants to share the court with another big man more frequently this upcoming season. Last season, Davis played alongside Christian Wood or Jaxson Hayes for 921 possessions, compared to 4,741 possessions without either player, indicating that he spent around 84% of his time as the sole big man on the floor for the Lakers.
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Despite the Lakers not making any significant additions to their frontcourt this offseason, rumors suggest they may target Washington Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas once he becomes eligible for trade on Dec. 15. Interestingly, LeBron James was reportedly willing to take a pay cut to enable the Lakers to pursue a mid-level free agent, with Valanciunas being one of the targets. However, the Lakers focused their efforts on trying to acquire Klay Thompson in a sign-and-trade deal with the Golden State Warriors. Ultimately, Thompson signed with the Dallas Mavericks, and by the time the Lakers shifted their attention, Valanciunas was off the market. This potential trade would mean sacrificing assets for a player they could have signed without giving up anything.
With Christian Wood sidelined due to knee surgery, Davis and Hayes are currently the only big men on the Lakers’ roster, aside from two-way player Colin Castleton. This situation will likely see Davis playing center predominantly at the start of the season, with the team needing to prove their worth to the front office in order to justify making a significant trade.
following sentence:
The cat lazily stretched out in the sun, basking in the warmth.
The cat lounged in the sun, enjoying the heat as it stretched out lazily.