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Anthony Davis’ Dominance Through 3 Games Cannot Go Unnoticed
Lakers superstar Anthony Davis is the NBA’s leading scorer after three games. (Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images)
Anthony Davis’ Dominance Through 3 Games Cannot Go Unnoticed
We’re only three games into an 82-game season, or nearly one week into a season that lasts roughly 25 weeks. However you slice the pie, we’ve barely scratched the surface of what is a long, grueling season for everyone involved.
That said, Los Angeles Lakers superstar Anthony Davis‘ dominance within JJ Redick‘s new offense shouldn’t go unnoticed, even if it’s still way too early to make any firm conclusions.
Through nearly one week of action, Davis is averaging an NBA-most 34.0 points per game–having scored 36, 35 and 31 points against Minnesota, Phoenix and Sacramento, respectively. He’s doing so on 57.1 percent shooting from the floor, 40.0 percent from 3-point range (2-of-5) and 80.0 percent from the free-throw line. That comes in addition to 11.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 2.3 blocks in 35.5 minutes per game.
Davis’ current usage (29.9) would mark a Laker career-high and be his highest since 2017-18. It’s noticeable how they’re utilizing him as a centralized focal point within the offense, and it’s reaped benefits.
When Davis has been on the floor, the offense has scored 113.8 points per 100 possessions (59th percentile), including 99.5 points per 100 in the halfcourt (73rd percentile), per Cleaning The Glass. The Lakers still aren’t taking or making 3s at a very high clip when he’s on the court, but he’s still benefitting from the space he’s afforded with a few of their different shooters (Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell, Gabe Vincent, Dalton Knecht etc.), thus eliminating possible help.
(Video Courtesy of the NBA)
He always demands attention, and when he’s commanded it, he’s leveraged it into successful playmaking.
(Video Courtesy of the NBA)
“We’re very intentional about trying to take away the help,” Redick said Sunday. “So because of his physicality and his skill, he’s a tough one-on-one cover. … There’s an intentionality to have him involved as much as possible.”
Well, it’s worked so far. It helps that Davis has maintained his aggressiveness through three games; who knows whether or not he’ll sustain this pace, but if he does, the Lakers’ offense could be a nightmare in certain matchups on a night-to-night basis.
After all, Davis is the biggest reason why the team has gotten off to their first 3-0 start since 2016-17, ranking 10th in adjusted NET Rating (plus-2.8) and fourth in adjusted offense (114.3), per Dunks & Threes. LeBron James will pick his spots to dominate–especially late in games. But this is Anthony Davis’ offense, and we may be finally getting a glimpse of how a team around Davis (instead of James) will look for years to come.
