AD also dropped a hint that he might have to load manage to begin the Lakers’ season due to his time with Team USA this summer.
Los Angeles Lakers superstar Anthony Davis believes that his time with the USA men’s basketball team during the 2024 Paris Olympics is going to keep him in shape just in time for the upcoming NBA season. In a one-on-one interview with Andscape’s Mark Spears, AD explained how he plans to approach next season knowing that he’s played a lot of minutes with Team USA this summer.
“I stay in the moment,” Davis said. “I can’t try to pace myself to prepare for the [NBA] season. If anything, this will get me in more shape and ready for the season. Obviously, we’re going to manage during training camp and preseason and maybe the first couple games of the season. But I try to stay in the present and focus on winning the gold right now.”
The Lakers badly need a healthy AD
Davis, who is coming off his healthiest NBA season yet with 76 games played, has to once again be available for his team as much as he can. Not only is his team significantly dependent on his defense, but newly appointed head coach JJ Redick wants “The Brow” to also be the offensive hub of the Lakers. For Redick, it’s only right that the 31-year-old superstar in his prime finally takes the torch from the soon-to-be 40-year-old LeBron James.
But what’s interesting here is that Davis, who averaged 24.7 points and 12.6 rebounds per game last season, reiterated to Spears that he might have to ease his way into the season. It hasn’t been confirmed yet as to whether this means that the nine-time All-Star will see fewer minutes to begin the year or sit out a couple of preseason games. It’s just noteworthy because this is the first time we’re hearing AD talk about the possibility of load managing to begin the season — which is something he’s never really done in the past.
The challenge of competing in the Olympics
While we hear players like Davis talk about what an honor it is to play for the United States in the Olympics, there’s also a challenge that comes with it such as the fact that two months of their offseason is spent playing overseas instead of healing up or resting for the upcoming season. Because of that, it may affect their performance during the NBA season and it’s also one of the biggest reasons why some superstars have passed up on the opportunity to play at the Olympics.
But at the end of the day, nothing beats the feeling of winning a gold medal in the Olympics, and for Davis, that alone is worth the sacrifices he’s had to make this summer. Hopefully for the Lakers big man, his time in France indeed pays dividends for him to begin the NBA season instead of it being the reason for his team’s downfall.