Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham has been very impressed by Anthony Davis in the preseason, and he had some very high praise for the big man after their game against the Milwaukee Bucks.
“I see a level of focus that’s infectious,” Ham said. “He’s been phenomenal. Obviously some of the games he put together during last year, some of the stretches he had, just all around just unbelievable. He’s the heart and soul of our team.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmNmCHFteLs
Davis has indeed looked great this preseason and in their 108-97 loss to the Bucks, had 16 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. There were shades of some of those incredible performances he had for the Lakers last season when he averaged 25.9 points, 12.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.1 steals, and 2.0 blocks per game.
It was easily his best campaign since his first one in L.A.. He was very impactful on both ends of the floor, and it was clear Davis was the biggest key to success for the Lakers.
LeBron James Stated That Anthony Davis Is The Face Of The Los Angeles Lakers
It is not just his head coach who has placed Davis on a pedestal, but his co-star as well. LeBron James declared that Davis is now the face of the Lakers, and claimed that his name already belongs alongside some of the legends of the franchise.
It is really about time that Davis becomes the undisputed top dog on the team. While I mentioned that it was clear the big man was the most important player, there were far too many nights when he wasn’t the best player on the team.
It is understandable that Davis can’t be incredible in every game, but there were so many in which he was just ordinary, especially on the offensive end. In the playoffs, only in six of his 16 games did he manage to score over 25 points, which is simply not enough.
If a repeat of that happens in the postseason in 2024, the Lakers will fall just short yet again. They need him to be at his dominant best on most nights if they are to get across the finish line.
The Lakers Have Challenged Anthony Davis To Be The Leader
The Lakers gave Davis a three-year, $186 million extension this offseason, but not before they laid out what they expected from him. GM Rob Pelinka revealed that the Lakers challenged Davis to be their leader and hardest worker.
“The theme was, ‘We want to commit to you, but we want you to commit to us,’” Pelinka said. “And one of the aspects that we addressed with him in that exchange was becoming a leader and being the hardest worker, and he really did that this offseason. … Training more this offseason than I’ve seen with him as a Laker. He’s taken on that leadership mantle and I think he knows that when the franchise invests in him like we did this summer, he’s gonna return that. That’s just his character.”
It is great that Davis has taken on the leadership mantle and while I would applaud him for training more this offseason, you inevitably wonder why he wasn’t working as hard as possible earlier. It shouldn’t take a new contract for him to decide that now was the time to put in more effort.
Whatever the case, at least he has done it now, and we wait to see the results on the court.
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