It looks like Anthony Davis won't be participating in Team USA competition over the next couple of months.
As the All-Star forward prepares for his first season with the Los Angeles Lakers, the 26-year-old big man is skipping Team USA training camp in August and his removing his name for consideration for September's FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Although that would seem to indicate his heart is not in the 2020 Olympics, that is far from the case as he has yet to rule out representing Team USA at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan next summer.
Via Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN:
"Opting to focus on next season with the Los Angeles Lakers, Anthony Davis has decided not to participate in the upcoming USA Basketball training camp and FIBA Basketball World Cup, sources confirmed to ESPN.
League sources familiar with the situation confirmed to ESPN's Dave McMenamin and Ramona Shelburne that Davis is not ruling out playing for the 2020 Olympic team, but wants to spend this offseason focusing on the 2019-20 season with his new team and helping the Lakers contend for a championship."
Davis has been a member of the Team USA program for a number of years, winning gold at the 2012 Olympics and the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup. At the time of his appearance for Team USA in 2012, he was the only player on the team who had yet to appear in an NBA game and he was the youngest on the roster at just 19 years of age.
The Lakers face a make-or-break year during the 2019-20 campaign. The franchise is currently in the midst of its longest playoff drought at six seasons and running, but they're expected to be one of the top contenders for the title after acquiring the six-time All-Star. Furthermore, the team has added big-time role player additions in Jared Dudley, DeMarcus Cousins, Avery Bradley and Danny Green.
Davis will be a free agent at the conclusion of the 2019-20 season, meaning this year is a pivotal one for both the young forward and the Lakers.
Considering Davis has won just one playoff series during his seven-year NBA career, it makes sense that his priority is to focus on preparing for his first season in Los Angeles.
