"Him not panicking makes us not panic" - Anthony Davis slyly digs Darvin Ham while hailing JJ Redick's composure
Anthony Davis took a sly dig at former coach Darvin Ham while hailing Lakers HC JJ Redick's composure after LA's comeback win over the Suns on Friday. Davis and Co. trailed by 22 points in the first half, but the Lakers kept their cool. The star center credited Redick and his staff for ensuring there wasn't any 'panic' among the players.
"J coming into the huddle, halftime, just telling us, 'We're alright. Settle down. We know what we're doing wrong. Turnovers. Transition. We're getting good looks, just chip away...,'" Davis said. "So, him not panicking, obviously, makes us not panic."
The Suns went nuclear from the 3-point line in the first quarter, knocking down 10 3s in the opening 12 minutes. The Lakers' defense was constantly in rotation and chase mode, making it difficult for them to contain Phoenix.
However, JJ Redick's staff turned the switch in the second quarter. With timely timeout and excellent after-timeout plays, LA started chipping away well before the game-altering third quarter.
The Lakers did a better job of executing their halfcourt offense, ensuring they didn't commit as many turnovers that allowed the Suns to attack in transition. The Lakers cut the 22-point deficit to nine entering halftime and used that momentum to win the game in the second half.
Under Darvin Ham last season, the timeouts or adjustments weren't nearly as spot on when the team trailed by such margins, often leading to embarrassing losses for the Lakers. However, the different intent and execution from a game-planning standpoint have changed things this year under JJ Redick.
Anthony Davis and Co. have seemingly embraced the rookie coach because of this, and the result on the court shows that.
JJ Redick continues turning to Anthony Davis in crunch situations
One of major differences between last year and his season is the touches Anthony Davis is getting on the Lakers. There were stretches where Davis wouldn't be involved in any action, especially offensively, which slowed down LA.
The emphasis this year with JJ Redick and his staff has been to run almost every play through Davis. That was on display in the second game of Redick's tenure. Davis finished with 35 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two blocks. He shot 11 of 18 and 13 of 17 from the free-throw line.
Davis was once again the offensive hub for the Lakers as everyone played off him, including LeBron James. He had a 30.7% usage rate, at least 7.2% higher than the next player on the list, which was Austin Reaves (23.5%).
The schemes were designed to beat help defenders so that Anthony Davis gets more touches at the top of the key and in the post. That seemingly worked against a smaller Suns team with no one who could contain the Lakers big man up front.