One of the meaner nicknames in all of basketball is “Street Clothes.” This is what Charles Barkley calls Anthony Davis, due to Davis’ not especially great penchant for missing NBA games due to injuries. Since joining the Los Angeles Lakers in 2019, Davis has played in 138 of a potential 225 games, which does not include the various games where Davis will play, pick up a minor knock, and make his way into the locker room for a few minutes before returning to action.
It’s a new season, though, and hope springs eternal. This applies to Davis, too, who was asked about any potential personal goals he may have this season and decided to put his availability at the forefront.
Allie Clifton: "Any personal goals for you going [into this season]?"
Anthony Davis: "As much as I can, play all 82 [games], and then get back to the level of basketball that I know I'm capable of playing which is being elite and dominant."pic.twitter.com/EJAVrtQfjD
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 26, 2022
“My personal goal is just, one, as much as I can, play all 82,” Davis said. “And then two, get back to the level of basketball that I know I’m capable of playing which is being elite and dominant.”
It is a nice goal for Davis to try and have, particularly because it is really hard to play in all 82 games over the course of an NBA season. Last year, only five guys — Deni Avdija, Dwight Powell, Kevon Looney, Mikal Bridges, and Saddiq Bey — achieved that mark, while Davis has never played in more than 75 in a season. On average, he plays in about 60 games a year. Add in the fact that load management is such an important thing for the top players in the league and we are going to take the under on whether or not Davis plays 82 games this year, even if this is a very admirable goal to set.
