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Los Angeles Lakers: 3 ways Anthony Davis can step it up post hiatus

By Jonathan Kiernan

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 01: Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers shoots a three pointer while playing the Phoenix Suns at Staples Center on January 1, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 01: Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers shoots a three pointer while playing the Phoenix Suns at Staples Center on January 1, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images) /
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Los Angeles Lakers
(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers Anthony Davis /

Run more pick and rolls with LeBron James

Anthony Davis and LeBron James on the same team has been heavenly for fans of the purple and gold to watch this season. With both players seemingly really good friends, the chemistry between AD and Bron jumps at you straight away.

They seem to know where the other player is at all times and seem to make the right passes at the right time. It usually takes years to build this sort of chemistry and they just seem to have hit the ground running.

The scary thing about LeBron James and Anthony Davis is that we have only seen the regular season versions of each player.

From watching both players play, you can see that at certain times, they kick it up an extra gear that even the best players in the league can’t reach.

Come playoff time, expect lockdown AD on a nightly basis, swatting shots into the crowd and locking up the best players in the league.

You can also expect LeBron to turn into playoff LeBron, and for those of you who don’t know, there are few players in the history of the game who can reach playoff LeBron heights.

With all this being said, one area both LeBron and Anthony Davis can work on in order to have the Lakers offense running even more fluidly is by running a significant amount more of pick and rolls.

Simply, you have one of the best pick and roll facilitators in the game today in LeBron James, who is capable of making the perfect pass every time to his rolling big man or firing the ball out to the 3-point line to an open man, not to mention LeBron is such a beast he can get to the bucket himself with no trouble at all.

Now add probably the best pick and roll finisher in the game today in Anthony Davis to the equation and you have a pairing that is borderline unfair in the pick and roll.

The Lakers surprisingly do not run the pick and roll with AD and LeBron enough. With shooters out on the perimeter, three big men in JaVale McGee, Dwight Howard and Anthony Davis all elite pick and roll men, and one of the best passers in the game in LeBron on your team, it seems like a given that they would run pick and roll after pick and roll in order to utilize their roster’s talent.

In fairness to Coach Frank Vogel, he has the Lakers playing the best basketball they have played since the Phil Jackson/Kobe Bryant/Pau Gasol years.

If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

With that being said, adding in more pick and roll opportunities for  AD throughout the game could lead to significantly easier baskets for the Lakers and for Anthony Davis and who doesn’t like getting easy buckets?

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