Anthony Davis showed the potential of dominance on Saturday. He showed potential of what skeptics are weary of Thursday.
There is a phrase (Or joke!) that is known in NBA circles. What do you call a power forward with two rebounds? Answer: A small forward.
Davis did put up numbers against the Nets, scoring 16 points, while passing out 5 assists and blocking 2 shots. The problem is if you are a Lakers fan is the rebounding. Two rebounds from Davis shows that he was not as aggressive as he was against the Warriors.
He wasn’t imposing his will on the Nets like the show he put on Saturday. This Davis is the dominant force that the Lakers need to see on a consistent basis if he’s going to be the number one option.
https://twitter.com/Lakers/status/1182282430654242816
In the third quarter, Davis posts up Taurean Price down low. Davis notices the mismatch and just rolls Prince with a drop step and tears the rim down. In the first half, Davis shot more from the perimeter and was not as active.
Maybe with Dwight Howard in the starting lineup, it interrupted the rhythm of the starting lineup and the aggressiveness of Davis in general.
Whatever the reason, if the plan is to implement Davis as the number one option, he has to impose his will while
James plays the supporting role. In this game, the roles were reversed.
Speaking of Howard, let’s look at how he fared along with his tag team partner McGee.