One of the mysteries of the last few years for the Los Angeles Lakers has been the disappearance of the three-pointer from superstar Anthony Davis’ repertoire. He shot the three at 33.0% or better for three straight years between 2018 and 2020 and was 38.3% from distance in the 2020 NBA Playoffs.
But over the last four years combined, Davis is shooting a measly 24.8% from three, removing the shot from his game almost entirely. It has made him less multi-dimensional on offense despite still being a dominant post presence.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick wanted to re-infuse the three back into Davis’ game when he took over. And on Thursday against the Phoenix Suns, he saw some of that as Davis went 4-for-9 from beyond the arc.
Redick was very happy to see Davis knock down his long-range shots at that high of efficiency. But what he liked even more was the way in which Davis shot the ball without hesitation, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“He’s confident. It’s the willingness that he is exciting right now. You guys asked me about the balance of that before the game, we’re gonna find that balance. He’s gonna find that balance. He’s got to be willing, I think that’s the most important thing. I drew up the first play of the game for him to shoot a 3 and he knocks it down. Whether that’s confidence or relief, he was willing to shoot tonight. We want him to be willing to shoot. That doesn’t mean he’s gonna take nine 3s a game, I don’t think that’s realistic. But he’s gonna sprinkle them in there.”
Davis has not only missed threes at an unnaturally high clip over the last four years, but it has reached the point where he looks unwilling to shoot them at all. If he did take a three, it was only when he was undeniably open and could not pass it up.
But for the Lakers to be at their best on offense, Davis has to be at least a threat to shoot, even if he isn’t always a threat to make. On Thursday, he looked the part of that, an encouraging sign for Redick and L.A. in the preseason.
Anthony Davis ranked No. 13 in NBARank
Davis was spectacular last season. He played in 76 games in the regular season, finishing with averages of 24.7 points, 12.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. He was an All-Star for the ninth time in his career, made All-NBA Second Team, All-NBA Defense First Team and finished fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
And yet, somehow, Davis dropped in ESPN’s annual NBARank. Each year, ESPN assembles a panel of 150 experts to rank head-to-head individual matchups and come up with a consensus top 100 for the upcoming season.
After finishing at No. 10 prior to last season and having the season he had, he dropped to No. 13 overall.