The Lakers are still looking to find a spark this season after a particularly brutal stretch of play, but they are finally starting to show some signs of life as winners of two straight games. Following the Lakers‘ latest win over the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday, James opened up with the media and gave all the credit to Anthony Davis as the rock of the team.
“When I have those high assists, most of them go to AD and that works very well for our team,” said James in the locker room. “It’s always important for us to look Davis throughout the game cuz obviously teams know how dynamic he is. So we can’t win without AD. That’s impossible.”
The Lakers are 0-2 without Davis this season, further proving his value as a defender and interior scorer. Against the Raptors he had one of his best performances yet with 41 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists in 40 minutes of play. Objectively, Davis has been pretty solid this season and he may be the Lakers’ most valuable player at this point for what he does on both ends of the floor.
A Dominant Season For “The Brow”
As an 8x All-Star, Anthony Davis is not a new face on the NBA All-Star pyramid but he has taken his game to another level recently with the help of LeBron James. Ten days into the New Year, Davis is averaging 25.7 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game on a career-high 35.9% shooting from deep. As a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year, it’s shaping up to be another masterpiece for the superstar and the Lakers are doing everything they can to make the most of it.
Arguably the most impressive aspect of Davis’ season so far, however, is his durability. With 36 games played, Davis has played in all but two games this season, a rare feat for the injury-plagued big man. If he can stay healthy and show this level of consistency for the reason of the season, it will surely help them get back on the right track.
Changes Are Coming
The Lakers haven’t been totally awful this season but they are far away from beating other West contenders like the Thunder, Nuggets, Timberwolves, and even the Clippers. Despite the play of Anthony Davis and LeBron James, they just don’t have enough to keep up with the vastly improved Western Conference this year. At 19-19, and with a few assets to spare, there is still an opportunity to make a move and salvage the season
Ahead of February’s deadline, look for the Lakers to be aggressive in their pursuit of supporting talent. To date, several names have already emerged, including Zach LaVine, Kyle Kuzma, and Pascal Siakam. For now, however, the only thing left to do is wait and see how it all plays out. For better or worse, everything relies on Anthony Davis and it’s only through his prosperity can the Lakers achieve ultimate success.
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