In what comes as good news for the LA Lakers, Anthony Davis picked up right where he left off from last season and the Summer Olympics. The center dished out 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting, along with eight rebounds, three assists, and one steal during his 18 minutes on the floor. His brilliant two-way impact suggested that he was ready for the upcoming season.
With the Lakers heading East to take on the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday (Oct. 10), Davis is expected to suit up and play the same minutes against the formidable Bucks side. With head coach JJ Redick looking at playing his superstar big at power forward, there’s every reason to believe that Anthony Davis will play significant minutes at the four vs. the Bucks.
Will Anthony Davis play the remainder of the Lakers’ preseason games?
That JJ Redick fielded Anthony Davis and LeBron James early on in the preseason shows that the team is looking to incorporate and work on the new offensive and defensive game plans he has for the team by the start of the regular season. If Davis can continue to stay healthy and build on the purple patch from last season, the Lakers will be one of the sides punching their way up early on in the season.
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Davis has already noted that he feels comfortable with Redick’s offense, and the more he plays, even with reduced minutes, he will still be able to help the rest of the time get used to the new Xs and Os. With that, it’s safe to speculate that the big will play more minutes, and essentially the remaining three games of the preseason before taking on the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 22.
Much of LA’s hopes of making the playoffs and beyond depend heavily on Davis’ form and health, the latter more so because the 31-year-old has shown his productivity to be elite when he has managed to stay healthy. If he suits up as much as he did last season (76 games), the Purple and Gold will give themselves a good chance to stay in playoff contention, and even perhaps a shot at the title.
For now, the focus will be on Anthony Davis looking to be the hub of LA’s offense while James plays somewhat of a point-forward role that eases the load and maximizes productivity for the two stars. Only time will tell if this move yields the necessary results for LA.