Anthony Davis Urges Lakers to Strengthen Roster Before Deadline

Shortly before the Los Angeles Lakers emphatically defeated the Boston Celtics 117-96 on Thursday night, Anthony Davis upped the pressure on the Lakers front office by pleading for reinforcements in the team.

The victory over the Celtics during NBA’s Rivals Week means the Lakers move up to fifth seed (24-18) in the Western Conference. Davis (24 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists) combined with LeBron James (20 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists) and Austin Reaves (23 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists) to record the Lakers largest regular-season victory over the Celtics since 2007.

When asked for his opinion on what the Lakers can do about their roster by Shams Charania before the game, Anthony Davis gave his thoughts by saying:

“I think we need another big. I’ve always felt like I’ve been at my best when I’m the four, and having a big out there. It worked when we won the championship with JaVale [McGee] and Dwight [Howard] and I’m the four.”

While the Lakers have centers on the books like Jaxson Hayes, he has seen limited playtime so far, meaning that the majority of the Lakers lineups featured Davis as the lone center. In their championship-winning season, Davis often played alongside a true center.

Despite this, Davis feels that the team is just a few pieces away from seriously competing for a championship:

“We feel like we are right there, you know, as far as the team and everything like that. [James] and I are very, very motivated to win another championship.”

Whether or not Laker’s front office will heed the public pressure from their players and get any deals done before the February 6th deadline remains to be seen.

The Lakers next play the Golden State Warriors at the Chase Center this Saturday, January 25th.