Los Angeles Lakers: 3 Players who must improve to win a title

Anthony Davis

It’s odd to say that a player who averaged 26 PPG, 12 RPG, and 2.4 BPG to go along with the fourth highest box plus-minus in the league must improve for the Lakers to win a championship next season. Sadly, it’s true. Anthony Davis must expand his game for the Purple and Gold to topple the Clippers in the west.

LeBron James showed last season (pre-injury and post-injury) that he can still run an offense better than any other player in the world, but he’s no longer the one-on-one force of nature he once was. When LeBron was in his prime, he was too strong and fast to be guarded by one player. Now that’s not the case. There are a dozen or so men in the NBA who can handle LeBron in one-on-one situations.

Two of the wings who can stop LeBron, play for LA’s other team; Paul George and Kawhi Leonard.

During the first three quarters of the game, George and Leonard’s defensive ability will be on partial display, because the Lakers will be able to run LeBron James and Anthony Davis pick and roll’s while three other players spread the floor. But during the fourth quarter, teams always increase their defensive intensity, and that’s when Leonard and George’s full defensive capacity will shine. Throughout the end of close games (especially tight playoff games) things always come down to one player handling the offense and either propelling his team to a win or bumbling his squad to a loss. In clutch situations, the Clippers will play with 100 percent effort, and they’ll break up any pick and roll action the Lakers try to run.

Therefore, when you combine LBJ’s age with the fact that George, Leonard, Beverley, Green, and Harrell are going to smother out the Lakers preferred offensive sets, it becomes clear that Davis is going to have to play the role Harden does for the Rockets, Curry does for the Warriors, Giannis does for the Bucks, and Leonard did for the Raptors. AD’s going to have to be the man who takes over the Lakers offense late in games. There’s one problem though; he’s struggled throughout his career generating his own shot.

Compare AD to Giannis and Kawhi:

• Anthony Davis: 69% of his 2-point field goals have been assisted throughout his career.
• Giannis Antetokounmpo: 46% of his 2-point field goals have been assisted throughout his career.
• Kawhi Leonard: 42: of his 2-point field goals have been assisted throughout his career.

AD is a great scorer, but he’s always been dependent on his squad’s point guard to set him up. Next year, he needs to change. If Leonard or George try to D up Davis during the fourth quarter, he must use his height advantage to dominate either of them in the post. If Harrell or Zubac attempt to guard AD, he’ll have to use his advanced guard skills to abuse them from the perimeter.

The Clippers are favored to win a championship by most executives in the league, and there’s a good reason why; LA’s other team has two of the best wings in the league in George and Leonard, they have three-time 6th Man of the Year, Lou Williams, and an overabundance of gritty defenders at every position.

If the Lakers want to make it to the top of the NBA they must beat the Clippers on their hike, but there’s only one way the Purple and Gold will overcome their neighbors in a seven-game series; Anthony Davis must morph into the one-on-one matchup nightmare he’s capable of becoming.