“These two are going to bring the dog outta AD!" - Former NBA champion suggests the duo of Darvin Ham and Rasheed Wallace can turn Anthony Davis into a top 5 player next season

Kendrick Perkins believes the LA Lakers' newest coaching hires, Darvin Ham and Rasheed Wallace, will help Anthony Davis become a top-five player next season.

AD has struggled with injuries over the last two campaigns.

New head coach Ham and his assistant Wallace could be the key to helping Davis get back to his best.

The former NBA player-turned-analyst tweeted:

"The Combination of Darvin Ham and Rasheed Wallace = Anthony Davis being a Top 5 player next season! Those two are going to bring that dog outta of AD. Carry the hell on…"

The LA Lakers hired Darvin Ham to replace Frank Vogel this offseason. Ham is considered the right man for the job because of his understanding of locker room dynamics. Also, his experience working with star players as an assistant coach will come in handy.

The former champion is also known for holding players accountable and bringing toughness to the team, along with his understanding of X's and O's. With former Pistons teammate Rasheed Wallace rumored to be joining his staff, they are expected to help make the current Lakers team competitive again.

Darvin Ham says Anthony Davis is the key to LA Lakers' success

The LA Lakers have a talented roster led by LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook. However, they couldn't develop the right chemistry to record a successful campaign and failed to make the playoffs.

Davis endured another injury-riddled year. He would have been the key to the Lakers' success last season because of his defensive output. He also provided spacing with Russell Westbrook running the point.

AD played only 40 games, though. Westbrook, James and Davis never found their potential as a 'big three' due to this.

AD's absence prevented the Lakers from having a consistent second-scoring option behind LeBron James. It was compounded with Westbrook struggling to produce the goods in that department. LA also didn't have much rim protection as it often had to play LBJ as a small-ball five.

With Westbrook likely to stay, the Lakers will not have much flexibility to make significant changes to their current roster. That said, Anthony Davis staying healthy and performing at a high level will be the key to their success again.

New head coach Darvin Ham echoed similar thoughts during Monday's introductory press conference.

Ham said (via Clutch Points):

"I think he's the key. We need consistency out of Anthony Davis. We need him to be healthy, we need him to be in a good mental space and we need him to be consistent as possible and back to playing that championship-type basketball."

Davis came up big in his debut season with the LA Lakers. He led the team in scoring (26.1 points) and rebounding (9.3 rebounds) that year. AD was also phenomenal in the postseason, averaging 27.7 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks, shooting on a 57/38/83 clip.

If Ham manages to get this version of AD back, the Lakers will be a force to be reckoned with in the stacked Western Conference next season.