Los Angeles Lakers are in officially in offensive peril in loss to Rockets

Anthony Davis is getting exposed as a big man that does not want big man contact

Reggie Miller on the TNT broadcast stated that this should be a 20-point, 20-rebound game for Anthony Davis. No, this should have been a 35-point, 20-rebound game for AD. All Lakers fans should be disappointed because Davis was nowhere close to these totals.

Anthony Davis finished with a stat line of 17 points, 12 rebounds (5 offensive), 3 assists and 7 turnovers. Here lies the rub. Davis has 12 points at the end of the first quarter. Where was he at for the rest of the game?

For the second straight game, Anthony Davis demonstrated his lack of aggression and illustrated the damage to any chances of the Los Angeles Lakers winning a game much less a playoff series or a championship.

For the record, Anthony Davis needs to assert himself more. There can be no excuses because he’s shown what he can do with a 37 point explosion against the Clippers and a 42 point clinic operating on Rudy Gobert.

The benching of JaVale McGee is a clear foreshadowing. Now it doesn’t matter if Anthony Davis wants to play the center position or not. Frank Vogel is slowly moving towards that direction. The problem is the Lakers can’t beat the Houston Rockets if he’s not committed.

Plus, P.J. Tucker, Mike D’Antoni, James Harden and Russell Westbrook know it. It really doesn’t matter who plays the 5 spot because the small ball offense pulls Davis, Dwight Howard or JaVale McGee (Assuming we ever see him again!) out of the paint. This looks like Jeff Green dunks on AD but the Rockets offense sets it up putting Tucker in the corner.

https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/1291571850389192704

• We could talk about that soft uncommitted trap on Harden but let’s leave those issues for later. Harden hits Jeff Green with a bounce pass.
• The defense is stretched out because everyone is at the 3 point line.
• Davis is caught in no man’s land because he has to honor his man P.J. Tucker in the corner. 
• That half-second of indecision makes him late for the rotation and Green gets the dunk.

The Houston Rockets kept running the pick and roll all night long and rendered AD’s defensive prowess useless. Again this is about the perimeter defense.

What was even more upsetting was the physical play of Tucker getting under AD’s skin. In the playoffs, especially with the shooting M.I.A., physicality will be a constant for Davis. Will he stand up to it or disappear?

Right now, Lake Show Life doesn’t know what is worse. The Los Angeles Lakers 3 point shooting or the 3 point defense on the other end. Sadly, both are running neck and neck.