Friday’s game against the Toronto Raptors wasn’t Anthony Davis’ best night; he only manage five shot attempts in response to their strategy aim to remove him from the game plan. The Lakers were fighting back with a team that was heavily reliant on their bench despite trailing by as many as 12 points in the third quarter.
Dennis Schröder appealed to the coaching staff as Davis’ check-in time approached in the eighth minute of the fourth: The team, which included Wenyen Gabriel and Jarred Vanderbilt as the two forwards, had rolled all the way to a four-point lead. Davis was being sought out by coach Darvin Ham. Davis declared that he had no problem with the lineup carrying on.
The Lakers increased their lead to nine points after another minute and a half, cruising to victory with a 37-point fourth quarter.
After a Saturday filming session, Davis observed, “Man, it’s good to watch. As I watch, these guys are getting extremely at ease as you sit back. They were performing well last night. And as for me, I don’t care if we win, whether it takes seven shots, five shots, none at all, or 20 shots.
Since the trade deadline, the Lakers’ 8-3 success can largely be ascribe to Davis, who turned 30 on Saturday and has appeared to be in the prime of his career. In that time, he has averaged a team-high 24.5 points, 13.6 rebounds, and 2.8 blocked shots, regaining his status as the dynamic two-way player he was for the Lakers’ 2020 championship team. Yet defeating Toronto, a quick team with impressive, freakish athleticism, particularly at forward, indicated that the Lakers (33-34) now have other methods to win, which can be partly attributable to the new roster’s developing team chemistry.
Davis pointed to the play of Dennis Schröder, who was the Lakers’ second-leading scorer when Russell was absent, as an example. The point guard had another good performance on Friday after coming off the bench, scoring 23 points and dishing out seven assists.
Even if people aren’t participating, they are still really thrilled for one another, according to Davis. Dennis will now have to replace DLo off the field. The question of “Well, why do I have to come off the bench with the way I’ve been playing?” is not relevant. None of that applies. The floor is a reflection of how deeply committed the guys are to one another.
Although it is not the first time the Lakers are seeing D’Angelo Russell with the team, Ham says it is good to see that the point guard’s six-game absence hasn’t hampered his easy integration. Ham says that Russell’s shooting and pace are a “hand-in-glove fit” for the Lakers, but his support of his teammates is also inspiring, even while he is sideline with an injury.
He said, “He’s the biggest booster for his teammates. Even when he wasn’t in the lineup, you can see how the positive vibe is contagious with him the first day he step foot out here. “When he’s out there on the court, he may be having a good game, but he’s still out there.”
As a result, when they play the New York Knicks, who have also been a hot club since the trade deadline, the Lakers will have a chance to move above.500 for the first time this season. Although the Knicks have now dropped three straight games and may be without its star guard Jalen Brunson, they recently went on a nine-game winning streak that helped them climb into the top six in the Eastern Conference.
If things go well throughout the upcoming stretch, the Lakers might find themselves in that situation soon. When Ham reflected on the Lakers’ 2-10 start and how difficult it had been for them to get back to an even record, he grinned in anguish. He said that both he and the club had gained valuable experience, and he praised the Lakers for “going out and getting the type of assets that we know can fit around our two top players, LeBron and A.D.”
On a home-heavy March schedule, the fact that the fans are responding is perhaps the most satisfying.
He remarked, “Some of the energy I saw throughout the final stages—really throughout the course of this last game, in particular, the way the building was rocking. “Including the game against the Warriors on Sunday and the one against Memphis. You can feel your excitement and vitality returning. These are the best fans in the world, and when they believe their club has a genuine opportunity to be something extraordinary, you can sense that intensity.