LeBron James on LA Lakers coping without Anthony Davis - “That’s what a team is for and obviously you can’t replace AD”
LeBron James and the LA Lakers struggled in their most recent game without Anthony Davis on the floor. With Davis becoming the most vital piece on the team this season, James mentioned how the team made attempts to cope without their superstar on the court.
Anthony Davis has looked like one of the best players in the league in his last few outings. While there was very little doubt regarding his talent and skill, Davis has been repeatedly criticized for his weak mentality.
This season saw a massive shift in the narrative as Davis approached the game differently. Taking on the role of a leader and a number one option, the 29-year-old looked like a different beast on the floor.
The Lakers flourished with Davis playing the way he did. However, this meant that the team tangibly fell off when he wasn't on the floor in their recent game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
With Davis displaying flu-like symptoms, the Lakers were forced to see their big man leave the game. This left them in a vulnerable position which eventually resulted in a loss.
LeBron James addressed the team's performance without AD on the floor. When asked about how the team would cope without him, James said:
"Next man up. But that's a tall task. Figuratively and literally for what AD has been doing for us over the last few weeks. I thought Thomas came in and gave us some great minutes. It was high energy, worked the glass really well.
"But it was tough for us. AD went out and we had to kind of switch up our whole game plan for what we were going to try do. But we gave as much as we could. Had a couple of opportunities in the fourth but they broke away with it."
When asked about potentially playing without Davis for a few more games, LeBron said:
"That's what a team is for and obviously you can't replace AD so everyone has to do a little bit more. But do their job at the highest level and highest capacity they can do it and live with the results."
“Next man up but that’s a tall task… we had to switch up our whole game plan.” @KingJames on the #Lakers adjusting and playing without AD. https://t.co/uj6f7PISZv
AD's absence leaves a massive hole to fill on the Lakers' roster. LeBron addressed this during the postgame interview as well. Davis has had an impact on every aspect of the game for the Lakers as of late.
Read: Shaquille O’Neal is fascinated by soaring Anthony Davis’ stats: “He's playing the best ball I've seen in a while & I just hope he can stay healthy”
With a role to play on both sides of the floor, the Purple and Gold have seen the big man emerge as a reliable presence. Unfortunately, the team will be forced into a position where they have to adjust to playing without him for the time being.
The LA Lakers were simply outclassed with Anthony Davis on the floor
As mentioned earlier, the LA Lakers were thriving with Anthony Davis playing like the primary option. With LeBron James also offering key scoring and offensive support, the Purple and Gold appeared to have hit their stride.
Unfortunately, the Cleveland Cavaliers would have been a tough team to play even with Anthony Davis on the floor. With the Cavs' general abundance of big men, the Lakers would have struggled in this matchup. Without AD, the Lakeshow were just outclassed.
Although the game was close at the start of the fourth, the Cavs just broke away because of some meaningless turnovers and poorer defense. With fatigue settling in, the Purple and Gold had little hope of recovering from the deficit.
Anthony Davis' absence will raise some major concerns going forward. With a 10-13 record, the Lakers cannot afford to drop any more games. However, playing without their superstar big man may pose a major challenge for the rest of their road trip.