Former NBA champion touts Anthony Davis as MVP candidate, highlighting his transformed impact on Lakers offense
On Friday, former NBA star Kevin Garnett spoke highly of LA Lakers' Anthony Davis, calling him an MVP candidate on his show "KG Certified." Garnett emphasized what makes Davis unique as a player and admired his accomplishments with the Lakers this season.
AD has played five games so far in the season and is averaging the most points in his career. The Lakers star is averaging 30.6 points, 12.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists, leading the team to a 3-2 record.
The assertiveness of the nine-time All-Star hasn't gone unnoticed. Most fans have demanded aggression from Davis since he joined the squad in 2019.
"He's on line to be the MVP if he keeps playing like this," the 2008 NBA champion said about Davis. "It looks like AD is making an assertive effort too. He's calling for that s**t. This looks like AD in New Orleans a little bit. He's not just dominant, but he's being a lot more assertive, and when he gets it, he ain't passive.
"He's thinking shot first, attack first. Then he's playmaking. He's on line to be the MVP. ... This is the AD we've been waiting on right here. This is why he came to LA. To get with Bron and to make this assertive effort. You have to actually keep the foot on the gas with keeping AD this aggressive. I would not let him off the hook."
He has made more field goals on average in his first five games of the season. The most number of field goals Davis has attempted since the 2016–17 NBA season is 19.4.
Anthony Davis isn't making up excuses amid the Lakers' struggles
The Lakers had a strong start to the season, winning three straight games. However, their streak was snapped in their first road game of the season against the Phoenix Suns. They suffered another loss on Wednesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Anthony Davis said that the team has regressed, and they have to pick up their slack following their loss against Cleveland.
"Not expected," he said via Spectrum SportsNet. "We know what we’re doing, even though we’re a new team. We’ve shown in four games what we’re capable of doing on the offensive end when we’re organized, especially in the first three games... This is the first game where we regressed, and we were god-awful offensively because of our spacing."
On Friday, they look to bounce back and add their fourth win when they face the Toronto Raptors.