he Los Angeles Lakers have been saying for years that they would like LeBron James to take a backseat and give the reigns of the franchise to Anthony Davis. Both James and Davis have echoed these sentiments for the five seasons they have been in L.A. together, but it has yet to materialize in any significant way.
Part of the reason for that has been injuries. Davis missed large portions of three seasons from 2020-2023 and never found his footing even when he was playing. Last season was the first time that truly came to fruition, as Davis was the dominant force on both ends of the court.
But with new head coach JJ Redick at the helm and James another year older, the Lakers are focusing more than ever on centering their plan of attack around the superstar big man. In the season opener, Davis finished with 36 points, 16 rebounds and three blocks.
James brought back the familiar sentiment of Davis leading the team when he was asked how the big man can be kept involved offensively over the course of a whole game.
“He is the main focal point for us offensively and defensively,” Davis said. “We got to make sure we continue to give them the ball. I think the coach of staff and JJ [Redick], they do a great job of always putting in the positions and being the recipient of the offense. And you know, AD has it going.
“It’s our job as the ball handlers to continue to feed him, find him. And what AD did, what AD does tonight. I mean, 36, 16, three blocks, four assists, steal and only one turnover with all the usage that he had tonight.”
This finally seems like the year where Davis becoming the focal point of the offense could legitimately come true. All the pieces are there — with a new head coach and a flurry of ball-handlers — for him to be in positions to succeed.
Redick certainly wants that for Davis, and James has been advocating for it for over five years.
Anthony Davis: Lakers trust JJ Redick
The Lakers hired Redick in the offseason with the expectation that he would bring a progressed knowledge of the game of basketball along with an ability to connect with players as a former player himself.
There were immediate skeptics of the hire, as JJ Redick has never coached professionally. But the players and the organization continuously raved. And the results showed on Tuesday night. After the game, Anthony Davis spoke about what worked with Redick’s game plan.
“The game plan, the schemes that he had on both ends of the floor… he trusts us, and we trust him as far as what he teaches us and what he wants us to do on the floor, on both ends, and it’s our job to go execute it.
“I think we were very prepared tonight,” Davis said. “Like I said, we executed the game plan to a T. I’m not going to tell you the game plan because I know Minnesota will probably be watching this and figure out how to try to beat us next time. But our game plan was elite, and we executed it and were able to get the win.”