Anthony Davis scored a season-high 38 points to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 128-121 victory over the Detroit Pistons at Crypto.com Arena Friday night, their second straight win despite playing without LeBron James, who is still recovering from an adductor injury.
AD has been instrumental in both Los Angeles Lakers' recent wins, scoring 75 points and grabbing 34 rebounds in total. He averages 32.5 points, 13 rebounds, and 2.5 assists without LeBron James. The Lakers now have four wins and 10 losses in the current NBA season.
For the first few games of the season, his inability to carve out a role alongside James and Russell Westbrook was one of the most prominent stories surrounding the Lakers. Now that LeBron James is out, their coach is counting on him to carry the team, according to CBS Sports.
AD's increased aggression is largely a result of having to. Whenever he's on the court with James and Westbrook, who are both so dominant with the ball, he takes a backseat. However, the Lakers have won their last few games by relying on Anthony Davis as their primary interior threat.
AD Working Hard To Bring Back Dominance
To reclaim his position as one of the best players in the NBA, Davis made a conscious effort to be aggressive, according to head coach Darvin Ham, who also shared a fascinating preseason story.
"He's definitely getting stronger, the back is getting stronger," coach Ham noted, adding that Anthony Davis' threat on the court is growing as he continues to push himself.
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Darvin Ham also shared a funny story before the season started, when Anthony Davis came into his office and wrote on his small dry-erase board: "2022-23: throw the ball to AD."
"That's what he wrote on the board so we're gonna hold him to that," the Lakers head coach shared, as reported by Lakers Nation.
The Lakers are now witnessing the version of Davis who was a key player in their 2020 championship, following two unsuccessful and injury-plagued seasons. If he can sustain it, the Lakers may have quite a few more victories ahead of them.
AD Should Continue Aggression in The Paint
A postgame interview subjected Davis to questions about his more combative demeanor in recent games, and Davis responded that he's just trying to control and dominate the paint by getting to his spots and grabbing offensive rebounds for extra possessions.
"Just trying to do everything I can to help the team win," Anthony Davis remarked, as per Fan Nation.
Davis unquestionably accomplished that. Along with scoring a season-high, AD also shot 62% from the field and led all players with 16 rebounds, two assists, and four blocks. He attempted 21 free throws and made 18 of them in a game lasting 34 minutes.
He was also limited to just one attempt at a three-pointer, which was a crucial factor.
The quality of the Lakers depends entirely on its star players, and last night, Anthony Davis did what he must do every time he steps onto the court: he set the tone. Hence, the most effective version of AD is his aggressive self-- and the fans are hoping he would sustain it to help the Lakers to bounce back to their championship-caliber form. But only time will tell if he can continue this style of play with a completely healthy squad.
