![]() ![]() Maybe it will disappoint Lakers fans to see Davis not chasing such accolades. But, I’m not going out thinking I need to do this, need to do that to win an award. When asked if he wants to win NBA Defensive Player of the Year – an award Davis has set out to win before, but finished runner-up to Antetokounmpo in 2020 – he demurred: “If we can lock in defensively and win ball games and I play to the level I’m capable of playing, that stuff comes. He wants to be on the same page with everyone else in terms of how we communicate those coverages. “You can see the eagerness in his eyes,” Ham said. Ham said Davis’ versatility as a big man who can sit back in pick-and-roll coverages but also switch when necessary is key to his schemes – and Davis is taking well to the challenge. He sneered reflecting on last season’s defensive effort, which saw the Lakers finish 21st in defensive rating. However, Davis might even be more fundamental on the defensive end. Coach Darvin Ham said there is an organic flow to his system that will allow Davis to find his favorite spots on the floor – the left block, for example – but, if Davis can’t draw defenders out from the basket, the Lakers will often find themselves being crushed in the paint again this season. That will be critical for Davis’ fit in a positionless, four-out, one-in offense that could feature him beginning possessions on the wing or even above the break (where the 3-point line changes from an arc to a straight line). … Wherever coach puts me on the floor, mid-range, post, perimeter, if I’ve got a shot, I’m gonna shoot it.” You can ask guys around here, I’m really shooting the ball. I couldn’t really follow through,” he said. “That’s not an excuse, but it was tough for me to shoot how I wanted to shoot. But the upshot is that he expects his shooting to bounce back when he hits the court this season. It’s probably cold comfort that Davis now says this, too, was partially due to a wrist injury that he battled throughout the second half of the season. Last season, the 29-year-old averaged 23.2 points and 9.9 rebounds, but his outside shooting took a nosedive (18.6% from 3-point range). He’s only played 70 games in a season twice, the last time in 2017-18.Įven when healthy, Davis’ on-court performance has taken a dip since his heralded run during the 2020 playoffs on the way to a title. In the last two, he has played just 76 of 154 games. Davis has never managed to shake the “injury-prone” label, frequently dinged with injuries throughout his previous 10 seasons. While it might seem like a relatively modest aim, it’s not. The more I’m on the floor, the more I can help my team and its chance of winning when I’m playing.” “And if I’m not, I don’t want it to be injury-based where I can’t play. “I want to be able to play all 82 (games),” he said. But measuring up is not Davis’ focus going into his third season in L.A., he said after Wednesday’s practice. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |