Anthony Davis is aware that the Lakers will need him to maintain his dominant play if they want to contend for a championship this season. Anthony Davis’s postseason performance was really strong.
Although there were a number of factors that contributed to the Lakers’ deep playoff run the previous season, the in-season additions that they made have received a big portion of the credit for that success. The fact that Anthony Davis was the greatest player on the court for the most of the postseason may be the most important factor in the Lakers’ ability to win many series. Davis was the best player on the court for the bulk of the postseason.
When the Los Angeles Lakers faced Nikola Jokic, who is widely considered to be the best player in the world at the moment, the question of whether or not AD was the best player in a series became a topic of contention. And despite the fact that he was defeated in the Western Conference Finals, he still managed to put up impressive numbers, averaging 26.8 points, 14.2 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks per game while shooting 49.3% from the field and 87.5% from the free throw line.
Davis reached a point during the course of the playoffs that, at the very least, reached his level in the bubble in terms of effect, even if it came in a different method. This occurred over the course of the 16 games. Both his average of 3.1 blocks per game and his average of 14.1 rebounds were career highs for him throughout the postseason.
One of AD’s primary goals for the upcoming campaign is to preserve the team’s dominant status. During Davis’s interview with ESPN LA 710 on Monday, which took place during the Lakers’ media day, the question of what he needs to do in order for the Lakers to be title contenders this season was posed to Davis.
His response consisted of a single word, yet it conveyed a lot of meaning.
“Dominant,” Davis referred to himself. “I’m not sаying that every night I have to score 30 points and grab 15 rebounds, 30 and 20 rebounds, or 40 and 20 points, but I do want to leave my presence on the game every night. Oh, AD only had 20 [points] or 15, but he had 20 rebounds, or he had five blocks. These are common things that people sаy about AD. Just know that AD was present tonight, regardless of what it is. He had an impact on the game, and I want to have the same kind of impact on it. In every game, I ask myself if I’ve left my mark on the game. There will be times when you are unable to score the basketball or make your shots, but there are other things that you can do to have an impact on the game.
“That sums up my frame of mind. This has been my frame of thinking for a considerable amount of time. I don’t only have one talent to offer. Whatever it is that we do, and whatever it is that I do, to assist this team, I want to make sure that everything is on the table.
Seeing Davis recognize that it’s not always about the metrics is wonderful, even if it won’t likely lead to those narratives shifting. This is because an irritating amount of attention has been directed toward Davis’ statistical output. Seeing him acknowledge that it’s not always about the data is nice. Even when he was matched up against Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. in the first round of the playoffs last year, Davis was still the greatest defender on the court. He may not have had the most points or the best statistical night at times during the postseason, but he was always the best defender on the field.
Davis was then asked if he was looking to contend for an MVP award following his outstanding postseason, and he provided an answer that was very similar to what he had given previously in response to the first question.
At this juncture in their respective careers, LeBron James is going to offer the Lakers a very high floor on the season as a whole that will dаrn near make them a playoff team on his own. This is because he is going to give the Lakers a very high floor on the season. LeBron James is going to get the Los Angeles Lakers clicking well enough to get them a spot in the postseason if their health holds up, which is not a fair assumption considering the past few seasons.
However, Davis will be the one to decide how far this club can go in its potential. They have a chance to win the championship if he plays as well as he did in the playoffs last year.
Playing at that level requires a lot from anyone who wants to do it. However, taking into account how much the Lakers have invested in Davis, particularly monetarily over the course of this summer, it is reasonable to have this expectation heading into the new season.
AD, when asked if he is interested in competing for the MVP award:
“I have an expectation of playing at that standard, regardless of whether or not I am a part of it… My worst critic is always going to be myself… This year I want to come out and build on what I accomplished the previous year, and I’m hoping that if everything works out, I’ll be able to participate in those dialogues.