Newly-installed head coach Darvin Ham has high hopes in his first season with the Lakers, further setting a very high standard moving forward — a championship back in downtown Los Angeles. 

But to attain this goal, he stressed out the importance and availability of Anthony Davis on both ends of the floor. 

In his introductory press conference, Ham claimed that the superstar big man will serve as the “key” of the franchise in fulfilling its championship aspirations (h/t ClutchPoints). 

Like the club, the last campaign served as a downing one for Davis. Experiencing injury bugs, he missed 42 regular season games – which served as one of the clear factors on why they didn’t reach the postseason for the second time in four years. 

Amid these, he still tallied an effective 23.2 points per game, while pulling down 9.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocks.

“His skillset, his size, his defensive acumen, his relentlessness defensively is key. It’s going to be the foundation for the type of standard we set,” Ham further added about Davis, via team insider Mike Trudell. 

If healthy, Davis has proved himself as one of the most devastating bigs in the league with that two-way play and vast skill set. 

But only time can tell if he will remain healthy and available when L.A. needs him the most for this upcoming season of emergence.