LeBron James emphasizes getting Anthony Davis more involved in offense going forward: "It starts with AD, giving him more touches and things of that nature"
The LA Lakers, behind Anthony Davis' huge first half, looked and played like the better team against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Davis had 17 points in the first 24 minutes of the game and was the main reason LA ended the half with the lead.
The second half, though, was an entirely different story. LA couldn’t get Davis going and were unable to involve him on offense. He had only two points in the second half, which heavily-contributed to the Lakers' 100-114 loss.
After the game, LeBron James analyzed what went wrong. He said:
“We’re all just trying to figure out what we wanna do offensively. It starts with AD, giving him more touches and things of that nature. Each game has its own challenges but our focal point is and should always be he touches the ball throughout the course of possessions, quarters, halves.”
LeBron James on getting Anthony Davis more involve offensively and the #Lakers' mentality moving forward. https://t.co/hUddx7PizZ
This is the second consecutive game that AD's spectacular first half made the Lakers look great. Before ultimately losing to the Utah Jazz in their last game, AD dropped 20 points before halftime. The Lakers scored 75 points in that half but still lost by 14 points, with Davis scoring only two points in the last two quarters.
Against the Cavaliers, Davis’ 17 points were even more impressive than they looked. He was up against the impressive twin-towers Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley and dominated them.
Anthony Davis’ dominance wasn’t just on the offensive end either. He controlled the paint on defense, making life difficult for anybody who drove to the basket. Davis only had one block, but his overall defensive effort was impressive.
The Lakers have looked good when they have Davis playing at full throttle. They struggle badly when opponents adjust to clamp down on the eight-time All-Star.
Anthony Davis has to assert more when the LA Lakers need him the most
Head coach Darvin Ham revealed before the season that he would make Anthony Davis the focal point of the offense. Despite their losses, the coach has been appreciative of AD's impact on the team. While the LA Lakers have indeed been running the offense around Davis, they have stopped that strategy when defenses tighten up.
Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley of the Cavs are one of the best defenders in the league. Both are long, smart and active off-the ball. AD struggled as they ramped up their defensive focus and intensity in the second half.
The same cannot be said of the Utah Jazz, who had Kelly Olynyk and Lauri Markkanen as their main defenders. As individuals and as a combination, they are nowhere near on the level of Allen and Mobley.
Yet for some reason against the Jazz, the Lakers resorted to starting their offense with LeBron James and Russell Westbrook. While both are great options as focal points on offense, the Lakers seem to be playing better when Davis is the center of everything.
After only scoring two points in the second half last night, Anthony Davis put the onus on himself to demand the ball more offensively.
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The onus falls on Anthony Davis to demand more of the ball. Too often, he would just skulk around the basket when the action doesn't involve him.