Ham: Davis will be 'the key' to Lakers' success next season

Brand-new Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham wasted no time laying out his plans for one of his top players next season.

Ham highlighted star big man Anthony Davis as "the key" while speaking at his introductory press conference Monday, according to NBA reporter Marc Stein.

"His skill set, 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 added, according to Spectrum SportsNet's Mike Trudell.

Davis struggled to stay healthy last season, suiting up in just 40 contests and missing 21 of the Lakers' final 24 games as they ultimately fell short of a spot in the play-in tournament at 33-49. He failed to top 40 appearances for a second straight campaign, which contributed to him missing his first All-Star Game since his rookie year.

When he was on the court, Davis was as effective as he's been in a Lakers uniform, scoring 23.2 points per game while adding 9.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocks.

"We need consistency out of Anthony Davis," Ham said. "We need him to be healthy ... playing championship-level basketball."

Despite Davis' strong 53.2% mark from the field on the campaign, he shot a putrid 18.6% from beyond the arc on nearly two attempts per game. Ham hinted at decreasing those attempts moving forward, noting he plans to implement a four-out, one-in offensive scheme.