The road wasn’t pretty for the Los Angeles Lakers. In the span of 10 games, the team endured two separate five-game losing streaks and set historical lows for shooting on the offensive end.
But over these last few weeks, the Lakers have slowly begun to turn things around, and last night’s resounding win over the fully healthy Milwaukee Bucks was probably their biggest win yet. After the game, in which LeBron and Davis combined for 72 points, head coach Darvin Ham encouraged his team to keep fighting.
“Just the focus, man. Attention to detail,” Ham said. “Those guys chirping in the huddle, communicating with one another. Defensive coverages, offensive sets we wanted to run. Just everybody being engaged. And again, this just can’t be a one-game thing. You know, I mean, it’s easy to get up for a team like the Bucks. It’s easy to get up for the Celtics, it’s easy to get up for Golden State. This is something we have to do every time we step on the floor. And again, it’s not about who we’re playing. It’s, ‘How do we want to represent ourselves as the Los Angeles Lakers?’ And I think tonight, it will go a long way, helping us remain consistent at bringing this level of competitiveness to each and every game — not just a particular opponent but the way we want to represent ourselves and have our identity revealed, too.”
Ultimately, it was just one win and the Lakers still have a lot of work to do before they can begin to think of themselves as a legitimate contender. If Davis keeps playing like this, however, the sky is the limit for this Lakers team.
Can Anthony Davis Maintain His Current Level Of Play?
When the Lakers first brought LeBron and Davis together, it was under the assumption that Davis would eventually take over for LeBron when he got too old to be the first option. Up until now, that hasn’t panned out for the Lakers, but Davis has really stepped up as the best player on the team during this stretch.
Speaking to the media after the win that now sees their record improve to 9-12, LeBron was lavish in his praise for the center while also hinting at what the team’s and Davis’ roles were.
LeBron said it’s clear AD’s been the No. 1 option, and he’s been flourishing. “We know it’s our job every night to get AD going, (get him) involved. And it’s AD’s job to be assertive. He’s been doing that, and we love it.” Davis continued his tear with 44 points tonight.
It remains to be seen if this level of play is sustainable for the whole season, but there’s no reason to think it won’t be as long as he stays healthy.
In New Orleans, he was doing this type of thing every night, and, as a Laker, he’s back to doing it again. It’s up to the team now to make sure they don’t waste his talent.
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