Will Anthony Davis' Return Make The Lakers Contenders? Plus, First Half Awards!

41 games down, 41 to go. No, that's not meant as a threat. So with the Lakers at the halfway point, where do things stand? LeBron James spoke Sunday about having a better understanding of what this team is, and how they're going to play going forward, and the identity question is certainly an important one, even if that identity is imperfect. What he can't quantify, though, is just what things will look like once Anthony Davis returns. Not that they won't get better- that's a given- but how much better? And what will Davis look like in this new lineup leaning harder into "small" (i.e. Anthony Davis is a center, LeBron is the backup center, and we're only deploying the classic bigs in specific scenarios) than any season Davis has had here? In theory, it shouldn't be that different. Davis finished virtually every game in the title season at center, and has played more of it this year than the previous two. And in theory, what they're doing should put him in position to dominate. So will he bring enough to help the team elevate as much as it'll have to to advance in the playoffs? From there, it's awards time! Let's give the team a grade. Lord knows it won't be high, but would the Lakers be ok if the first half was the equivalent of a pass/fail college course? Just how much damage are they doing to their proverbial GPA? Plus, who are the most surprising and disappointing Lakers through 41 games? HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky SEGMENT 1: LeBron talks about Anthony Davis, and what it'll mean for him to re-enter the lineup. SEGMENT 2: Grading the Lakers, and naming the most surprising player of the first half. SEGMENT 3: Who's the most disappointing Laker of the first 41 games? The answer isn't cut-and-dried. Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Built Bar Built Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15” and you’ll get 15% off your next order. BetOnline AG There is only 1 place that has you covered and 1 place we trust. Betonline.ag! Sign up today for a free account at betonline.ag and use that promocode: LOCKEDON for your 50% welcome bonus. PrizePicks Don’t hesitate, check out PrizePicks.com and use promo code: “NBA” or go to your app store and download the app today. PrizePicks is daily fantasy made easy! TrueBill Don’t fall for subscription scams. Start cancelling today at Truebill.com/LOCKEDONNBA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices