Anthony Davis has had to endure fans and the national media taking shots at him for years. Time and again, he has been accused of being soft, brittle, lazy and unmotivated.
So far in the Los Angeles Lakers’ first-round playoff series versus the Denver Nuggets, he has put up tremendous numbers. However, he has faded down the stretch, mostly because his teammates haven’t found a way to get him the ball in his sweet spots.
In Game 4, with the Lakers facing the possibility of getting swept, Davis scored 25 points. Although he only put up two points in the fourth quarter, he found another way to keep putting his signature on the game.
He gobbled up 23 rebounds, allowing L.A. to outrebound the Nuggets for the first time in seemingly forever. It was a major factor in the team’s 119-108 victory that snapped its 11-game losing streak to the defending NBA champs.
Austin Reaves said afterward Davis pretty much led by example with his work on the boards.
Austin Reaves: “AD does so much for our team…For him to get 23 in a game like this, it means a lot…That’s obviously been a point of emphasis, it’s something that we have to clean up. And you could tell with his mentality, he was just like, “I’ll do it.” https://t.co/ZlDJF5bTYz pic.twitter.com/WBUnjTw88q
— Michael Corvo (@michaelcorvo_) April 28, 2024
LeBron James echoed the same sentiment while reminding everyone that Davis is one of the best big men in basketball.
LeBron: “For AD to clean glass, 20 of them on the defensive end…it’s just key for a lot of the things we want to do.
“AD doesn’t have to prove anything to anybody. He’s one of the best bigs we have in the game. He’s one of the best bigs in the world. He’s shown that again.” pic.twitter.com/8JfvsOO02p
— Michael Corvo (@michaelcorvo_) April 28, 2024
While Davis can be counted on to eat up the glass on a consistent basis, the Lakers will need to find a way to allow him to produce points late in games if they are to have any chance of making this series competitive.
But his tendency to eat up the glass on a consistent basis is a big reason they’re still alive rather than planning their summer vacations right now.
