Los Angeles Lakers: Anthony Davis likes the team’s defensive mentality right now

Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis recently commended the defensive intensity the team has shown of late.

Without a doubt, the defensive grit of the Los Angeles Lakers has been impressive this season. Even when the offense gets stagnate, the team has consistently been a pest to the opposition on the other end of the hardwood.

As of when this was written, the Lakers currently boast the third best defensive rating in the NBA at 102.7. The only other teams ahead of them in that department are the Denver Nuggets and Milwaukee Bucks.

Although the Nuggets are ahead of the Lakers in this area, the Lakers managed beat them on the road Tuesday evening. It was a great win for the purple and gold given that multiple players were sick going into the game. Moreover, it silences the critics who have argued their schedule has been gentle so far.

Of course, the Lakers followed that win up with yet another one the very next evening. They took care of business and basically manhandled the Utah Jazz by a final tally of 121-96.

On Wednesday night, the Lakers’ offense flowed rather well and five guys reached the double-digit plateau in points. However, the truly noteworthy part of this one was the team’s heavy concentration on defense.

They did not make matters easy on Utah and even center Rudy Gobert seemed relatively pedestrian by his standards. That says a lot provided that Gobert is an excellent defensive stopper.

Nevertheless, big man Anthony Davis outplayed his counterpart on both ends of the floor and swatted a total of three shots. Conversely, Gobert did not have any blocks.

Going back to Tuesday night, Davis likewise did his duty against another talented center in Nikola Jokic. Jokic only dropped 13 points that night on 4-of-12 shooting from the field.

Frankly, this piece of information should come as no surprise at this point in time. Davis has been a defensive juggernaut all year long and is making a legitimate case to be the 2019-20 Defensive Player of the Year. He has been that good on “D.”

His unique blend of skill, size, and mobility have made him incredibly lethal. Davis is the perfect centerpiece to a group led by defensive-minded skipper Frank Vogel. He always seems to be one step ahead of the pack and anticipates plays before they actually unfold.

The Brow is constantly active in this respect and never seems to take a play off. In fact, Davis recently admitted that he has done all he can to lead the team’s defensive charge every game.

According to Matt Peralta of Lakers Nation (originally per Spectrum SportsNet), Davis plays as hard as he does on defense in order to set an example for the rest of the team.

"“Just try to make plays. Help my team out whenever I can. I think our defensive mindset is great right now. Even at the end of the game, Kuz could’ve gave up the layup…he hustled down and gets a blocked shot. Those things are contagious and I just try to lead it every time I’m on the floor and hope guys follow and guys are doing it. Anytime they come out defensively we’ve been great and I try to set the tone.”"

Certainly, Davis has done his part to “set the tone” for Los Angeles. He has come up with big plays time after time, particularly in clutch moments. Without his knack for late-game heroics, there is no way the Lakers would presently be the top seed in the Western Conference.

For example, when the Lakers played against the Pelicans earlier this season, AD made a gigantic play in the closing seconds. He stole an inbounds pass in a possible do-or-die situation, and the Lakers won due to his efforts.

A good chunk of what makes AD so fabulous on “D” is his versatility. He can handle his own when it comes to other bigs, but his switchable nature is worth noting. Davis can also make the lives of opposing guards just as miserable because he is quick enough.

Needless to say, Davis is proficient at protecting the rim. As of when this was written, Davis is tied for the league lead in blocks at 2.7 per contest.

However, even when the perennial All-Star is not collecting blocks, he is still making his presence felt. He is constantly altering shots at the bare minimum and has been unstoppable up to this juncture.

Vogel has preached the importance of defense since day one, and Davis has undoubtedly been the Lakers’ best asset there. The latter has been setting quite the example for his teammates.

Assuming he can keep it up, it is very possible Davis will be taking home some hardware this year. He has been instrumental in terms of transforming the Lakers into a defensive-minded unit.

Michael Cooper was the last Laker to win the prestigious DPOY award during the 1986-87 campaign. It is not unreasonable to think Davis could end the team’s lengthy drought in this realm.

More importantly, if AD can continue to be a defensive monster, another drought may end for the team as well. While individual achievements are nice, winning team hardware in June is even sweeter.

Time will tell just how far the Lakers make it this season, but one thing is for certain. Davis is killing it on defense and has arguably been the biggest contributor to the team’s success so far.