Will Anthony Davis Play 65 Games? Who Starts at Forward Next to LeBron, Rui or Vanderbilt? (Guest: Mike Trudell!)

Anthony Davis has said he wants to win Defensive Player of the Year. He'd like to make All-NBA teams, and more. The NBA says you need to play 65 games, at least, to qualify for those, and any other end-of-season awards. The Lakers have 15 back-to-backs. So when you start to put all of this stuff together, it creates an interesting potential question. Should A.D. stay healthy enough that injury doesn't fully threaten the 65 game awards threshold, the Lakers will still likely be looking to manage his workload in an effort to help keep him healthy for the postseason. So what happens if his (completely understandable) personal goals are in conflict with what the medical staff thinks is best? It's not just a question about Davis, really, but whether the NBA's efforts to get stars playing in more games, and resting for fewer, works. Meanwhile, many people are assuming the Lakers will start Rui Hachimura at power forward this year, because they paid him a bunch of money this offseason. But is that the best course of action? Might a better argument be made for Jarred Vanderbilt, one that emphasizes the ability to get the most out of both players? Finally, Austin Reaves is playing excellent basketball for Team USA, and showing the rest of the NBA fan universe what Lakers fans have been saying for a while now. And even the non-Lakers fans out there (and that's a lot of folks) have to accept that Reaves is for real. All of this and more in Part 2 of our conversation with Mike Trudell of Lakers.com, Spectrum Sportsnet and so many other places. HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky SEGMENT 1: Will AD play enough games to qualify for DPOY? What happens if he wants to play but the staff says he should sit? SEGMENT 2: Who starts at power forward? SEGMENT 3: Austin Reaves is showing the rest of the world what Lakers fans already knew. Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!  Ibotta Right now, Ibotta is offering our listeners $5 just for trying Ibotta by using the code locked when you register. Just go to the App Store or Google Play store and download the FREE Ibotta app and use code LOCKED. Birddogs Go to birddogs.com/LOCKEDONNBA or enter promo code LOCKEDONNBA for a free white tech hat with any purchase. You won’t want to take your birddogs off we promise you. FanDuel Make Every Moment More. Right now, when you bet on a Super Bowl Winner, you can GET BONUS BETS EVERY TIME THEY WIN IN THE REGULAR SEASON! FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices