Davis: Stop calling me scrap!
The first win of the new season, the Lakers got after a five-game losing streak. Before hosting the Nets, the Lakers lost another five-game losing streak. So, the Nets are going to give heads to the Lakers? As it turned out, the home Lakers never trailed all the time, and even had an 18-point lead at one point, and finally they defeated the Nets 116-103, ending a bad five-game losing streak and a third win of the season.
The biggest highlight of this game is Anthony Davis, it can be said that Davis has not been so tough for a long time, he shot 15 of 25 and 7 of 7 free throws with 37 points, 18 rebounds and 2 assists, no matter who the Nets defended Davis, the result was almost the same, they had no way to limit Davis. In fact, Davis has been relatively consistent this season, averaging 24.3 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.8 blocks while shooting 54.2% from the field and 25% from three-point range. Aside from the three-pointer, Davis didn't have any problems performing. Of the Big Three, neither LeBron James nor Russell Westbrook are as efficient as Davis.
Some fans will definitely say that Davis's three-point shooting is terrible, and there is nothing wrong with that, and he has shot 4 of 16 from three-point range this season, which is really bad. But, does Davis really need to shoot threes? In the case of the Lakers' home win over the Nets, Davis didn't shoot three-pointers at all, but that didn't prevent him from helping the Lakers win. The bottom line is that Davis was supposed to be working inside, so why did he have to shoot threes? Even, he doesn't have to do too much mid-range projection.
In the game against the Nets, Davis made 25 shots, including 10 of 15 shots from the interior paint area, shooting 66.7%; 3-of-8 shooting from the non-painted area of the interior line, with a shooting percentage of 37.5%; 2-of-2 from mid-range with a 100% shooting percentage. With Davis' interior ability, is it really necessary for him to shoot threes? As for why he shoots three-pointers, it actually opens up space for James and Wilson, two ball-carrying players. Therefore, Davis gave up a lot for his teammates, and the result will still be incomprehensible by fans.
In fact, Davis as an interior player, he also has a misplaced advantage when facing inside players. The relatively bulky interior lineman is no match for Davis in terms of footwork, and he can punish opponents with speed as well as outside projection; Facing a relatively flexible interior line, Davis has an advantage in physical fitness and can play strongly. To put it bluntly, the biggest advantage of the Lakers now is Davis, not James, not Wilson. Only by using Davis to understand will the Lakers get back on track.
However, it is not a simple matter to understand that Davis is not a simple matter, nor is it as simple as getting Davis back to the inside, and the most important thing is to give Davis the right to dispose of the ball. In the game against the Nets, Davis shot a total of 15 balls, of which 10 were completed by Davis himself, and the other 5 were hit after receiving a pass from the opponent, and his goal assist rate was only 33.3%, but Davis's goal assist rate reached 60.3% in the new season, why? Because Davis was more of a finisher before, James and Wilson as ball distributors, all Davis could do was catch the ball to finish. In the game against the Nets, Davis had more opportunities to play with the ball, and he gradually found his form.
A win won't help the Lakers get out of the bottom of the West, but at least this game gives the Lakers some hope, and giving Davis more ball disposal and more opportunities to impact the interior is the key to the Lakers' win. In this regard, both James and Wilson should take the initiative to make changes. Davis can open up space for them, and they should learn to reciprocate, and only then can the Lakers really start the winning footsteps.
Ven/Duncan's laugh