Getty Lakers stars LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook
One of the Los Angeles Lakers‘ most important players is working with a renowned shooting coach this summer after struggling with his jump shot in 2021-22.
Anthony Davis, who shot only 18.6% from beyond the arc in 2021-22, has been training with “Lethal Shooter,” one of the top shooting coaches in the world.
Davis struggled with his jumper in 2021-22. The one-time champion shot 34.8% on “jump shots” and 31.7% on shots from 10-to-15 feet. The Lakers will need Davis to shoot more effectively from the perimeter in 2022-23 if they want to contend in the rugged Western Conference.
The 2021-22 campaign was a tough one for Davis, who only appeared in 40 games due to two serious injuries. The Chicago native averaged 23.2 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists. However, Davis shot a career-low 71.3% from the free-throw line.
Davis: ‘When I’m Healthy, I’m a Motherf***er’
Davis has only played in 76 regular-season games since helping the Lakers win the 2020 title. The eight-time All-Star is aware that his injury history is the only major blemish on an otherwise stellar professional résumé.
“My job is to be on the basketball floor and play games,” Davis told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin in April. “When I’m healthy, I’m a motherf***er. But I got to stay healthy. Unfortunately, it was two injuries I couldn’t control this year but I’ll be back at it next year and see what happens.”
Davis, 29, missed 17 consecutive games from late December until late January after suffering an MCL sprain in his left knee against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Then in mid-February, the future Hall of Famer sustained a foot injury versus the Utah Jazz, causing him to miss 18 straight games.
“I had no injuries this year where it was, ‘Damn, that’s AD’s fault,'” Davis told McMenamin. “Someone falls into my leg, sprains my MCL. The same exact thing [Kevin Durant] had. To be honest, my training methods were top-tier. I can’t control stepping on someone’s foot and I can’t control someone falling into my leg. It’s not like I’m out of shape and I f***ing did some crazy sh*t or it was anything I could control.
“I could have one, f***ed up my foot way more. Or I could have torn some sh*t in my knee. So it’s a positive for me, knowing that I put in a lot of work this summer and I prevented catastrophic injuries from happening to my body. So, people can say what they want to say, but I know what I do every summer to get ready for an 82-game season.”
Davis signed a five-year, $190 million contract with the Lakers in December 2020. He has the same agent as LeBron James (Rich Paul of Klutch Sports). James and Davis have a close relationship off the court, so while anything can happen in the NBA, the King and the Brow should be back in Los Angeles next season.
Davis Doesn’t Think He’ll Get Traded
Davis, a member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team, has no indication that the Lakers will trade him this offseason. He talked about his future in Los Angeles with McMenamin in April.
“I can’t control those things,” Davis told McMenamin. “That’s an upstairs thing. A Klutch, Rich Paul thing. My agency. I mean, my job is to go out and play basketball. Obviously, I love it in L.A. If that’s something that they’re considering, then we’ll have a conversation about it. I don’t know what they’re talking about, what’s the plan. ” mean, I don’t think they’re planning on doing anything [with me]. I don’t know, man. F***, I don’t know.”
The Lakers are 75-33 in the regular season when James and Davis play. Due to injuries, the two superstars only played in 21 games together in 2021-22.