Lakers News: Anthony Davis, Frank Vogel Discuss Quick Buildup, Short Preseason

The Los Angeles Lakers won Game 6 of the NBA Finals and celebrated their first NBA title in a decade at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Disney World in Orlando, Florida, on Oct. 11. Barely more than two months later, they will be starting a new season when they take the court Dec. 22 to face the Los Angeles Clippers.

Many teams have a quick turnaround to begin the 2020-21 campaign, but none quicker than the Lakers, who have an opening-night matchup at Staples Center. Before that, though, they will play four preseason games, beginning with a matchup against the Clippers on Friday night.

The Lakers may not send all their best players into action in the preseason opener. On Tuesday, head coach Frank Vogel said it's "unlikely" that either LeBron James or Anthony Davis will take the court for that game. And it could be a slow start for the other returning players from Los Angeles' 2019-20 roster.

"We want to make sure we're easing guys in that did not have a normal offseason, the guys that are returning from playing in a championship last year with our team," Vogel told the media on Monday. "We don't want to overdo it early with those guys, but at the same time the games are coming up very quickly—so also don't ease in so much that we make them vulnerable for those games to injury.

"So, we're going to have on a day-to-day basis try to strike that balance."

After signing a new five-year, $190 million contract with the Lakers earlier this month, Davis is now in training camp preparing for his second season with the team. The 27-year-old forward had never won an NBA title before arriving in Los Angeles, and now he'll look to help the Lakers win back-to-back championships.

But Davis appears to be taking it slow with the start of the regular season less than two weeks away, as he deals with this unusually short buildup to a new campaign.

"I just want to make sure I'm good to go," Davis said on Tuesday, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "I don't want to rush into anything. We've seen, unfortunately, how football went with no preseason, shorter season, and a lot of injuries happen. You don't kind of want that same thing. So I'm going to build up the right way. Coach has been doing a great job of doing that with our team, building up the right way."

However, Davis' health isn't an issue. He told reporters, including McMenamin, that his body is feeling good, but he just wants to "be smart about it as well" by not going too hard at practice too early.

It won't be long, though, before the Lakers are back playing meaningful games. Tipoff for their season opener against the Clippers is set for 10 p.m. ET on Dec. 22 on TNT.

And once James, Davis and the rest of the Lakers' key players are ramped up to full speed and ready to go for this shortened 72-game season, they're likely to be among the top contenders for the NBA title once again and potentially an early favorite to win the championship.