"He and Bron both" - Darvin Ham's positive outlook about Anthony Davis is set to excite Lakers fans
Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham likes what he is seeing with Anthony Davis. He is hoping that the positive vibe that he is getting from their All-Star big man will translate to more success in the upcoming NBA season.
The Lakers opened their preseason campaign against the Golden State Warriors on October 7 in San Francisco.
They lost the game, which saw LeBron James and Austin Reaves sit out for precautionary measures, with a score of 125-108 but Ham had a lot of positive takeaways from the match that they are looking to build on moving forward.
One of which was the bounce that Anthony Davis had in his game, which Ham views as an indication that the All-Star forward has renewed drive, joy in playing, and commitment to succeed alongside fellow All-Star LeBron James and the rest of the team.
The second-year Lakers coach said after the game:
"The thing that I'm tickled by is the joy you see in his face as he's playing. I see a lot of joy in his face. His body is feeling good. He's feeling good about his game. He's put in a lot of work this summer. He's hungry as ever, he and Bron both. And that trickles down to the rest of our team. But he's playing with an extremely high level of joy."
Anthony Davis, who signed a lucrative three-year, $186-million max extension this offseason to stay with the Lakers, played 13 minutes and finished with a team-high 15 points on 54.5% shooting (6-of-11) to go along with five rebounds. Also finishing with 15 points were D’Angelo Russell and rookie Max Christie.
Last season, Davis, 30, was a steady double-double performer, averaging 25.9 points and 12.5 rebounds in 56 games. He also added two blocks and 1.1 steals per contest.
The next preseason game for the Lakers is a showdown with the Brooklyn Nets on October 10. The team will begin their regular season on October 25 against Nikola Jokic and the reigning NBA champions, the Denver Nuggets.
Did the Lakers make the right move to extend Anthony Davis?
Signing Anthony Davis to a huge extension deal in the offseason was a bold, if not risky, move by the Los Angeles Lakers considering the history of the All-Star big man with injury.
But the team could not be faulted for doing so as despite being injury-prone, the former Kentucky standout remains as one of the top players in the league, capable of producing on both ends at any given time.
The recent observation by Lakers coach Darvin Ham of Davis’ seemingly reinvigorated drive to play and succeed surely bodes well for the team in the upcoming NBA season, playing in tandem with LeBron James and beyond.