2 Lakers that will thrive in play-in vs Timberwolves and 1 that will struggle

Will thrive for the Lakers: Anthony Davis

Get ready Lakers fans. This play-in game against the Timberwolves on Tuesday night is going to be the Anthony Davis show. All the pundits who doubted Davis’ ability and his killer instinct are going to look extremely foolish if AD does what he should do against this Minnesota team.

First of all, Davis has thrived in his only real playoff stint with the Lakers. LeBron James was the NBA Finals MVP in 2020 but Davis was the best player throughout the playoffs. His win-shares per 48 minutes in that playoff run (.284) went down as the sixth-best in NBA history for a single playoff run. Let that sink in.

Not only has Davis thrived in the biggest spotlight but he also typically dominates Rudy Gobert, regardless of what team he is on. That has been this season as Davis was in his bag in both games he played against the T-Wolves this season.

Davis averaged 38 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks in the two games he played against the Timberwolves this season. That is utter domination and that domination against Gobert has extended before he was in Minnesota.

Let’s rewind to the Orlando bubble. You may have forgotten about this game with everything that has happened since, but Davis absolutely torched Gobert on a national stage right before the NBA Playoffs began to prove that he was ready to lead the Lakers to the NBA Finals.

In this specific game, Davis dropped 42 points with 12 rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block. It was utter domination that clinched the top seed in the Western Conference for the Lakers.