Los Angeles Lakers superstar Anthony Davis has come under some criticism this season for not being a consistent offensive force that most feel he should be. And while Davis couldn’t care less about what the outside world thinks of him, he has certainly quieted many of those critics over the last week.
Over the last three games, Davis is averaging 38.3 points and 13.7 rebounds while shooting 64.7% from the field. Davis has been practically unstoppable in the paint and the Lakers have benefitted greatly from it. But Davis feels it’s his teammates who are helping make things easier for him on this run.
Following his latest outing against the San Antonio Spurs, finishing with 37 points, 10 rebounds and four steals in a Lakers win, Davis credited the recent hot shooting of his Lakers teammates for creating more spacing for him in the paint, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“Just finding my shot. Of course being more aggressive. But my teammates have been doing a good job. I think it’s easier for me to operate when guys are making shots. TP made a ton of shots, actually he’s been shooting the ball extremely well the last five, six, seven games. Cam, C-Wood made some shots tonight, AR, LeBron when he’s playing. When we’re able to shoot the ball and space the floor, it’s hard for guys to come double team. So it’s a lot easier for me to have one-on-one matchups and go to work.”
When the Lakers are clicking, everyone benefits from each other. As Davis said, the likes of Taurean Prince and Austin Reaves consistently knocking down shots from deep makes it harder for teams to double-team him. And when the big man is so dominant in the paint, it helps create open looks for the Lakers’ perimeter shooters.
Davis’ most recent performance almost ended before it even got started, however, as the Lakers big man turned his ankle early in the first quarter in San Antonio. But he stayed out there as he knew his presence on the court gives the Lakers a better chance to come out with the victory:
“Giving my team a chance to win. I know when I’m on the floor and I’m playing, my team has a higher chance of winning than me being out. My presence defensively, my presence offensively. Then it’s just that we’re trying to win basketball games. Second night of a back-to-back obviously against a team that’s struggling. It’s not more so about the opponents, it’s about us. Just trying to keep myself and our guys in a great rhythm. That’s all it is, just wanting to play basketball and knowing that when I’m on the floor, our chances of winning are a lot higher.”
Davis’ injury history has been spoken about ad nauseam, but he has missed just one game so far this season and is motivated to put those health criticisms behind him and keep pushing the Lakers to wins.
Lakers’ Anthony Davis praises Spurs rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama
Davis was excellent against the Spurs and he needed to be as rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama did everything he could to try and end San Antonio’s losing streak. Wembanyama finished with 30 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks and Davis had high praise for him after the game.
Davis called Wembanyama extremely talented and called it fun to play against the rookie. The Lakers star also noted how well the rookie has been playing recently despite the Spurs losses and feels he is showing exactly why he was the top pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
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