Anthony Davis did not speak to the media after the Los Angeles Lakers lost 128-110 to the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night, as he had lost his voice. Lakers head coach Darvin Ham was asked postgame if it had any impact on their defense, and he said it did.
“Definitely,” Ham said. “You have to cover it up, you’re not gonna get through a game against a team like this with that type of firepower, with that type of head of a snake in terms of Steph (Curry) without everyone talking and being alert and ready and doing the work early. Being in position early. It is not going to be a cookie-cutter game plan.”
Ham says even playing the perfect defense against the Warriors isn’t enough.
“It’s going to be times where you going to play perfect defense and they still gonna score,” Ham continued. “There’s times where you have to give multiple efforts, you going to have to yell and communicate with your teammate, so him having a little trouble with his voice tonight, I thought definitely impacted the game. My hats off to him, he still came out and did the best job he could under the circumstances.”
(starts at 11:38 mark):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qe2aKZVxsxU
It might sound like a terrible excuse to some, but I do get what Ham is saying here. Davis is their primary communicator on defense, and that ability being compromised against a team like the Warriors isn’t ideal.
With all the movement and cutting that they were facing, the Lakers needed to communicate well but weren’t able to. It resulted in the Warriors scoring 128 points, and they connected on 16 three-pointers as well.
The fact that LeBron James was out too, would have only made matters worse in that regard. James is another who is excellent at communicating and directing his teammates on the defensive end, and his presence certainly would have helped. Ham confirmed that LeBron will, in all likelihood, return for their next game against the San Antonio Spurs, which is huge for the Lakers.
Getting back to Davis, while he was a bit compromised, he still had a fine game. The nine-time All-Star finished the night with 27 points, 15 rebounds, 1 assist, and 3 blocks despite being swarmed on offense.
LeBron’s absence meant the Warriors were able to key in on him at times and the rest of the Lakers weren’t able to make them pay for it. LA saw its three-game winning streak snapped, as a result and dropped to 30-27 on the season.
Darvin Ham Had Compared Anthony Davis To NFL Icon Ray Lewis On Defense
This is not the first time Ham has emphasized just how important Davis is to the team in terms of communication on the defensive end. After the Lakers won the In-Season Tournament, Ham said LeBron is Tom Brady on offense, and Davis is Ray Lewis on defense.
“If Bron is our Tom Brady on offense, Anthony Davis is our Ray Lewis. He anchors our defense, he plays middle linebacker, he communicates, he does all of that.”
Davis is as important to the Lakers’ defense as a middle linebacker is in the NFL. It is why whenever the 30-year-old is not available, LA completely falls apart. In the four games he has missed this season, the Lakers have a defensive rating of 125.5, which would rank dead last in the NBA.
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