Anthony Davis looked like the next great big man to suit up for the Los Angeles Lakers in his first season with the team. He was dominant on both ends of the court as he and LeBron James led the Lakers to a championship in 2020. He looked set to join the likes of Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Shaquille O’Neal in franchise folklore, but things haven’t gone to plan in the last couple of years.
Davis has been somewhat of a shell of the player he once was, as injuries have slowed him down. He has been subjected to a lot of criticism for his shortcomings, and the team’s struggles have only made matters worse. The talking heads on television have already called for Davis to be shipped out of town, with Stephen A. Smith suggesting a trade to the Warriors, while Chris Broussard wants him sent to Portland for Damian Lillard. AD, however, isn’t thinking about leaving L.A., and he is focused on helping the Lakers weather this storm.
Anthony Davis Says He Will Try To Be More Vocal And Aggressive
The Lakers need him to be at his best, more so than perhaps ever before, as they are off to a 2-9 start, and as if that wasn’t bad enough, LeBron is out with an injury as well. AD realizes that he has to step up in James’ absence, and he revealed how he plans to approach these upcoming games.
(starts at 1:10 mark):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ociVYAaMgvQ
“I just try to be more vocal and kinda just take on that role of being super aggressive. You still got me, Russ to kinda, the same way like we just did in Utah. But for me the mindset switches of going out being aggressive and trying to find ways to help the team win. Whether it’s more shots or, now it’s my job to make these guys better. It’s my job anyway, but it’s heightened when someone like Bron is out with everything he does on the floor.”
Lakers fans have, for a long time now, wanted AD to be more aggressive like he was in his first season, and he says he will be. One of the biggest problems with Davis this season has been that he has gone missing in the second halves of games. He is averaging 14.2 points in the first half this season, but that number goes down to just 8.4 points in the second.
His shot attempts also drop from 10.7 to 6.3, as he doesn’t really get involved in the offense. Perhaps he will stay aggressive throughout the game now that LeBron is out, and that is really the only way that this team is going to win.
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