Anthony Davis has taken on the challenge of reestablishing himself as a franchise player by silencing his critics at every turn. He's been dominant on both ends of the floor, played through pain, paced the Los Angeles Lakers through four quarters, and taken over down the stretch.
One of the quiet developments in recent games has been the return of a strength that Lakers fans have been hoping to see return to his arsenal for years on end: An efficient jump shot.
Davis is off to an MVP-caliber start to the 2024-25 season. Through 10 appearances, he's averaging 30.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.1 offensive boards, 2.8 assists, 2.1 blocks, and 1.2 steals while shooting 56.0 percent from the field and 80.0 percent at the free throw line.
Some have argued that it's an unsustainable pace, but Davis is shooting just 0.4 percent better from the field than he did a season ago.
The change for Davis has been the general manner in which he's been utilized within the offense. While he and LeBron James were co-stars before 2024-25, head coach JJ Redick has made a concerted effort to prioritize Davis as the hub of the offense.
While everything Davis has done has been captivating to witness, it's the progress he's made as a shooter that should have Lakers fans excited by what's to come.
Anthony Davis appears to have rediscovered his jump shot
Between 2017-18 and 2019-20, Davis buried 175 three-point field goals overall and 0.9 per game. He shot a respectable 33.3 percent from beyond the arc during that time, which held defenders accountable due to his reasonable efficiency as a big.
Unfortunately, between 2020-21 and 2023-24, Davis averaged just 0.4 three-point field goals made per game on 24.8 percent shooting from distance.
That startling decline in both volume and efficiency limited the scope of Davis' previously versatile offensive game. It also called coaching decisions into question, as Davis averaged a career-best 1.2 three-point field goals made during the Lakers' championship season in 2019-20, but suddenly shot fewer attempts with lower efficiency levels.
Redick is helping Davis get back to what worked for him, with the USA Basketball Showcase and 2024 Summer Olympics acting as a precursor to his current success.
Davis shot the ball with surprising consistency during his run with Team USA, willingly launching shots if they were given to him. In 2024-25, he's continued that trend by burying eight three-point field goals in 10 appearances—on 40.0 percent shooting, no less.
That's reached new heights in recent games, as Davis has now made two three-point field goals in each of the Lakers' past three outings.
It's too early to determine what this means for the rest of the season, but Davis is taking what the defense is giving him as a shooter. When he's given space to launch a three, he isn't overthinking it or trying to turn it into a play that doesn't need to happen, but is instead stepping into the open looks.
It's a shift in mentality that has highlighted the sustainable success that Davis and the Lakers have experienced early in the 2024-25 regular season.