Anthony Davis doesn't expect to be load managed by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2019-20.
Davis, who was load managed by the New Orleans Pelicans this past season after his trade request went public, wants to play in as many games as he can for the Lakers in 2019-20.
Anthony Davis gets asked about load management. "I’m playing. I’m 26 years old. I love the game of basketball, I’m ready to play."
— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) July 13, 2019
Anthony Davis is prone to injuries. The six-time All-Star has never played more than 75 games in a season. If he's healthy, though, Davis wants to play without a minutes restriction. The Lakers will obviously sit Davis if he's hurt.
Article Continues BelowThis past season in New Orleans, Davis averaged 25.9 points, 12.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.4 blocks in 56 games. The Chicago native shot 51.7 percent from the floor, 33.1 percent from the 3-point line and 79.4 percent from the charity stripe.
The Lakers are getting the third most efficient scorer in NBA history in Davis. AD has the third-best player efficiency rating in league history at 27.4. LeBron James is second at 27.6. Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan is first at 27.9.
We saw this past season that load management worked very well for Kawhi Leonard, who guided the Toronto Raptors to the NBA championship over the Golden State Warriors in six games. However, Leonard and Davis are in two different situations. Kawhi has a quad/knee ailment which is likely going to affect him for the rest of his career. Davis, meanwhile, doesn't have any arthritic conditions that we know of.