Lakers News: Where Anthony Davis Fits In Latest Sports Illustrated Player Rankings
When it is all said and done, Lakers forward Anthony Davis will go down as one of the most skilled players the league has ever seen. Unfortunately, Davis career has been taking a steady decline since winning his first championship with the Lakers.
Davis has been considered an injury prone player for the majority of his career to the point where fans ridicule him for being on the sidelines. Despite the negative outlook Davis has been given, he still cracks the top 20 players this season (via Sports Illustrated Top 100 Rankings).
"After the Lakers’ championship run, Davis hasn’t been able to capture the form he flashed his first year in Los Angeles. His three-point shooting has dipped precipitously (26% in 2021, 18.6% in ’22) and injuries have derailed his seasons (Davis has played in only 76 regular-season games since the ’20 Finals). Davis is still a top-tier defender and offensive threat. But he seems to be far away from the player who once seemed destined to be in MVP conversations."
Davis enters enters year 11 as the 18th ranked player in the league. Despite appearing in just 76 games over the past two seasons, Davis has still averaged 22.0 points per game with 8.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game during that span.
Numbers that don't pop out like they used to for the former MVP candidate but still worthy enough of consideration to be the face of the franchise once LeBron James inevitably calls it a career.
Davis' ranking puts him two spots above Heat center Bam Adebayo and one spot ahead of Pelicans forward Zion Williamson, who has also been criticized in his young career for injuries.
