The Los Angeles Lakers are in win-now mode, but at the same time, they have brought in a number of young players over the last couple of years who could still be on their roster and contributing after LeBron James either leaves or declines precipitously.
Five years is a long time in any area of life, especially in sports, and it is nearly impossible to project what any team will look like at that point in time. But when it comes to one key Lakers player, it may be reasonable to expect that he won’t be around anymore.
During a recent episode of “Buha’s Block,” Lakers insider Jovan Buha was asked which current Lakers players will still be with the team in five years. He said he’s not sure if Anthony Davis will still be wearing the Purple and Gold at that time (h/t Lakers Daily).
“AD in 2029 would be turning — he’d already be 36, gonna be turning 37 that season,” Buha said on the subject of how old Davis would be five years from now. “I wonder if AD is still even playing then. I think he’s capable of still playing then and still being effective, but five years from now, 36-year-old, 37-year-old Anthony Davis, given his injury history, I do wonder — I would assume he’s still probably playing, but that’s an interesting one. My guess AD is not on the Lakers at that point, but maybe he’s the second or third guy next to a new star or a new couple of stars.”
Right now, Davis is in his absolute prime, and he had an impressive showing in four preseason games this month. However, he has been injury-prone over the years, so one has to wonder if he may suffer an ailment at some point that could shorten his prime or even threaten the rest of his career.
If he avoids major injury, he should be able to continue being effective in five games as Buha said. However, once an NBA player reaches his mid-30s, all bets are off as far as whether he will be able to continue to play at or near the top of his game.
On the other hand, that is exactly what James has been able to do as he approaches his 40th birthday.
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Source: CNN
