Prior to the arrival of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Los Angeles Lakers struggled to stay completive for more than half a decade. However, the duo completely changed the atmosphere of the team and lifted the glorious Larry O’Brien trophy last season.
Fast forward to this year’s playoffs, the Lakers booked their place in the postseason after an intense battle against the Golden State Warriors in the play-in tournament.
Although the job is still far from over yet, the defending champions have taken the first step towards potentially winning back-to-back NBA Championships. That is, if Anthony Davis steps up.
Stephen A. Smith believes Anthony Davis needs to step up in the playoffs for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Last season, LeBron and Davis formed a formidable duo in the postseason and breezed past most of their opponents. In fact, it gave birth to the famous “Lakers in five” chants by the fans.
The star duo carried the team on their backs, but it was Anthony Davis who was simply insane in the postseason. In the 2020 playoffs, AD averaged 27.7 points along with 9.7 rebounds per game.
Keeping that in mind, NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith expressed his views on the importance of Davis to the LA Lakers. Smith said:
"“If the Lakers are going to go anywhere near defending their title this year, LeBron needs Anthony Davis to show up again. I know Anthony Davis was technically on the court last night. Put up a pretty good stat line by the end of the proceedings too. But the Lakers don’t need the AD they got in the play-in game.“They don’t need a 6’10” monster of a man shooting mid-range jumpers all the damn time. … The Lakers need Anthony Davis to get himself inside to impose his will, to be a bully, to control the game from the post.”"
The Lakers need MORE out of Anthony Davis. pic.twitter.com/vdVOdshjEJ
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) May 20, 2021
As Stephen A. explained, Davis had a great stat line in the fixture vs the Warriors. However, he was far from his dominant self and was shut down for most of the game by Draymond Green.
How important is Anthony Davis for the Los Angeles Lakers?
The Lakers will take on Chris Paul and the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night. The Suns clinched the second seed in the West this season and are one of the top contenders to take home the 2021 NBA Championship.
On paper, both teams look evenly matched up, but considering the Lakers have Anthony Davis and LeBron James in the lineup changes the power balance. While LBJ will do his usual and lift his teammates’ game, it all comes down to AD’s form in the upcoming series and the rest of the playoffs.
Once Davis is in the groove, he attracts the opponent team’s attention which allows his teammates to roam more freely on the court. Even against the Warriors, when AD was playing as the center in the second half, the Lakers were instantly rejuvenated and cleared a 13-point deficit.
All things considered, Anthony Davis’ ability to attract opposition defenders and dominating the will most likely decide the outcome for the purple and gold in the postseason.