Anthony Davis Reveals What Went Wrong For Lakers Last Season

Los Angeles star center Anthony Davis discussed what went wrong for L.A. last season.

Sep 30, 2024; El Segundo, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) during media day at the UCLA Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers are only a few weeks away from the start of the 2024-25 season. L.A. will look to redeem themselves after an underwhelming season, and they are confident they can get the job done this season.

The Lakers have the aces up their sleeves, with Anthony Davis and LeBron James leading the charge. Despite the questionable roster, the presence of these two-star players can work wonders for the team.

While that remains the case, Davis and James need the others to do their job and play their role. That's the hope this season and is part of what went wrong last season, at least if you ask Davis.

During media day on Monday, Davis spoke on what went wrong for the Lakers last season and was blunt with his answer. He said missing critical players like Jarred Vanderbilt and Christian Wood hurt their chances at a long playoff run last season.

"Vando missed a huge part of last season, C Wood missed most of last season," Davis said. "I think just health."

“Vando missed a huge part of last season, C Wood missed most of last season… I think just health.”

- Anthony Davis speaks on what went wrong for the Lakers last season

— All Lakers - AllLakers.com (@thelakers248) September 30, 2024

Vanderbilt, Christian Wood, and Gabe Vincent missed most of the season. Those three combined missed a total of 156 games. They only played 90 games between the three of them. Not only were the Lakers without three players, but they were their most crucial players.

Vanderbilt's defensive tenacity is second to none. He can guard positions one through four and can wreak havoc on opposing teams. Vanderbilt is the type of player every championship-level team needs on their side.

Vincent missed the majority of the season due to a knee issue. The Lakers signed him last offseason in hopes that he would provide defensive toughness to guards and timely shooting. Because of injury, Vincent failed to do all that, and his season was a lost one.

The 28-year-old only shot 11 percent from long range, attempted 49 field goal attempts and 28 3-pointers.

Wood was supposed to be a player who could complement Davis, whether he was on the floor with him or not. Sometimes, there were moments when he would play and times when he wouldn't. Wood struggled to stay on the court sometimes, and his injury in February was the end of his season.

That's a thing of the past. Los Angeles will focus on getting healthy and remaining that way. Vanderbilt is iffy for the first regular season game, Vincent is scheduled to be ready to play in preseason and beyond, and Wood is two weeks away from ramping up.

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