HAMM: I really tried my best!
Waking up, the Lakers lost again. Once with a 12-point lead, they collapsed in the second half and eventually lost to the Cavaliers 100-114, suffering a two-game losing streak and finishing second from bottom in the West with a 2-7 record. After watching the first half, the Lakers really shouldn't lose the game, but after watching the second half, it will make people feel even more angry, what kind of stuff are the Lakers playing? In two quarters, the Lakers scored a total of 36 points, as many as in the first quarter.
Anthony Davis was so disappointed with the state of the team that he even declined to be interviewed after the game. For the game, Davis had 19 points, 12 rebounds and four assists on 7-of-12 shooting and 5-of-9 free throws. However, Davis' game was divided into the first and second halves, Davis shot 6-of-10 in the first half, Davis was 1-of-2 in the second half, and Davis' two shots in the second half were in the third quarter, which also meant that Davis did not get any shots in the fourth quarter. Crucially, Davis played seven minutes in the fourth quarter, and not getting out of the phone would be really hard to accept.
Admittedly, the Cavaliers have a good interior configuration, and the likes of Jarrett Eli, Evan Mobley, Dean Wade and Kevin Love will really put a lot of pressure on Davis. However, Davis was not a slump in the field, he played very well in the first half and lost his chance in the second half. Throughout the game, Davis was third on the team in the number of shots and tied for third with Troy Brown. In first place are LeBron James' 23 and second is Russell Westbrook's 13. Before, the Lakers once regarded Davis as the core, is there really a core that only has two shots in the second half?
Whether it's James or Will Shao, they should now recognize the fact that making Davis the core of the offense is the best solution for the Lakers. As a result, Davis not only did not become the offensive core of the team, but gradually became a "tool man", because Davis has no opportunity to shoot at all in many cases, taking blocking and dismantling cooperation as an example, Davis is now basically only blocking and not dismantling, that is, Davis can cover and block for his teammates. But as a result, after Davis covered and blocked, there was no follow-up.
With Davis's movement speed and mid-range and long-range shooting ability, he should have many options for receiving and finishing after blocking, whether it is directly impacting the basket or pulling out to shoot, if Davis is the real offensive core of the team, he should have a lot of shooting opportunities. As a result, Davis has averaged only 2.5 rounds per game this season to block and finish the ball, then he made 2.1 shots and hit 1.3 for a 58.8 percent shooting percentage. This season, the league has averaged at least 2.5 rounds of blocking and finishing rounds, with Davis shooting second only to Bam Adebayo (65.5 percent), Jacob Poeltl (69.6 percent) and Nikola Jokic (60 percent).
It should be understood that Adebayo and Poeltl are not the first choice of the team's offense, and although Jokic is the Nuggets' first scoring point, his offense is not dominated by blocking and receiving the ball. However, the three players with a higher shooting percentage than Davis averaged more rounds per game after blocking and finishing the ball than Davis, and Adebayo averaged only 4.2 rounds per game to block and finish the ball, ranking second in the league. To put it bluntly, Joel Embiid averaged 6.7 rounds per game after blocking and finishing the ball, ranking first in the league. Even if James Harden does a lot of singles with the ball, he will still block with Embiid and let Embiid finish more.
So, is Davis really the offensive heart of the Lakers? The Lakers have James and Will Shao two ball-carrying types of players, and Davis will not block too many times. The result? When Davis finishes the blocking, can James and Will Shao "dismantle" the second step of the block? Not necessarily. Therefore, it is not to blame Davis for refusing to be interviewed, and treating him as a cover "tool man" is not angry!
Text/Duncan's laugh