Is Anthony Davis a Strong NBA MVP Contender? Lakers Owner Jeanie Buss Shares Her Thoughts

When it comes to picking the best player in the NBA, there’s a surprising contender in the mix according to Lakers owner Jeanie Buss. She suggests that when he’s in top form, Anthony Davis might just be in the running.

Buss brought up Davis’s name while discussing the Lakers’ impressive comeback during a recent interview on The Athletic NBA Show. She mentioned, “There’s an argument to be made that he was the best player in the NBA when he was playing.”

The Lakers faced a rocky start to the 2022 NBA season, with a dismal 3-10 record that led to distressing threats against Buss. However, their fortunes turned around when Anthony Davis returned to the court in late January.

In the regular season, Davis put up some impressive stats, averaging 25.9 points and 12.5 rebounds per game. He also achieved his highest-ever field-goal percentage of 56.3% and a Player Efficiency Rating (PER) of 27.8, which is his best since joining the Lakers in 2019.

Davis continued to shine in the playoffs, where he averaged 22.6 points, 14.1 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks per game. Notably, he grabbed at least 20 rebounds in crucial wins against the Golden State Warriors.

This resurgence was reminiscent of Davis’s stellar performance when he led the Lakers to victory in 2020. Recognizing his immense value, Jeanie Buss extended Davis’s contract for three years, worth a whopping $186 million, ensuring his presence with the Lakers until 2028.

Lakers’ general manager Rob Pelinka underscored Davis’s significance, calling him “a pillar of the franchise.” He emphasized Davis’s exceptional character, his commitment to teamwork, and his dedication to the team’s culture.

“Jeanie and Darvin and I were just probably the most excited to just get Anthony’s perspective about what it means to do an extension like this and to become a leader of the Lakers for years to come. And for us in our conversations with him it was really centered around his character. Who he is as a person, how he treats his teammates, his commitment to wanting to be the hardest worker and just helping establish our culture with that. Clearly, he’s one of the game’s most dominant two-way players but to see his desire to kind of take on those leadership reins was significant to us to have those conversations with him.”

– Rob Pelinka said to Spectrum SportsNet via Lakers Nation

However, there’s a significant caveat in Buss’s argument – Davis’s health. In his four seasons with the Lakers, he’s only played in 194 games. While this is an improvement compared to previous years, injuries have remained a concern.

So, the question remains: Can Anthony Davis stay healthy and consistently perform at the highest level? While Buss makes a compelling case for him being a top NBA player, the debate over who truly deserves the title of the NBA’s best player continues.

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