NBA: LeBron James waiting to play with 'angry' Anthony Davis

LeBron James says that he is looking forward to playing alongside an "angry" Anthony Davis this season, after both of them were sidelined by injuries in the previous campaign. The Los Angeles Lakers were knocked out in the first round of the 2021 playoffs after the latter suffered an injury midway through the series against the Phoenix Suns.

The Lakers were among the favourites to reclaim the Larry O'Brien trophy last season, but long absences for James and Davis during the course of the campaign saw them finish seventh in the Western Conference. Franck Vogel's team had to qualify for the playoffs via the play-in tournament, beating Stephen Curry's Golden State Warriors.

Both James and Davis revealed during the Lakers' media day this week that they were ready for training camp having made full recoveries from their respective injuries. Davis came in for special praise from the four-time NBA champion for the quiet way he went about his off-season training in the summer.

The leader of the purple and gold was impressed with his fellow All-Star and believes Davis has something to prove to himself going into the new season. James is certain that Davis will be aggressive after injury derailed the 2020-21 campaign.

"A lot of people go through the summer, and they like to post their workouts, and post their training, and post everything that they're doing, but if there was one guy that you did not see this summer until he got married last week, it was Anthony Davis," James told Spectrum Sportsnet.

"It's not even about proving people wrong, it's about proving himself right. Because he knows what he can bring to the table... He's one of the best players that we have in this league, and I'm looking forward to a very angry Anthony Davis."

The Lakers will again go into the season as one of the top favourites, especially since they added Russell Westbrook to the mix. The triple-double expert arrived from the Washington Wizards as part of a five-team trade, making them the Western Conference's super team like the Brooklyn Nets in the Eastern Conference.