Steph Curry and his wife Ayesha conquered some intense workouts in the scorching desert dunes. Austin Reaves revealed that LeBron James had required the Los Angeles Lakers to hold a mini training camp, and "100%" of the team's players showed up. Furthermore, Anthony Davis's resurgence could be a decisive turning point factor.
In a September 25th episode of "The Lowe Post" podcast, Reaves praised AD's shooting ability. He said he had been trying to encourage AD to shoot the ball more often. Because if he does it at a high level, which he's capable of since he shot the ball really effectively during his bubble year, then literally no one can guard him.
According to Basketball Reference, last season Davis took 32.3% of his shots from 3-10 feet, a career-best. As a result, his overall proportion of long-range attempts suffered.
Davis's career-high 58.9% two-point shooting percentage nearly eclipsed that. However, Davis was once a three-level scorer, averaging 33.3% from three from his final season with the New Orleans Pelicans in 2017-18 through his first season with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2019-20, when he helped the team win their 17th championship.
He dropped from 2.8 attempts per game down to 1.3 this past season, but his 25.7% three-point shooting from last year, 18.6% in 2021-22, and 26% in 2020-21 is impressive.
Reaves said, "I think he'll shoot the ball a lot better this year, and take a lot more attempts." AD is not a self-centered person. What he really cares about is winning. If someone else is successful, he won't rush to the bench to complain about touches on nights when he only scored in the mid-teens. That doesn't matter to him at all. He's only in it for the glory.
Davis's unselfishness is a strength. But it could also prevent the Lakers from reaching their full potential.
In part because the Lakers need a new leader as James ages.
On Showtime Basketball's "Ticket & The Truth" on August 14th, Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett said, "I'm expecting Anthony Davis to win MVP in these next two years or so, for real. A lock for next year if not this one."
If he's on the court and in good shape, Davis is the only player the Lakers can count on to be a rock-solid defender. On defense, Reaves proclaimed, "He's the best defensive player I've ever played with." If you know he's coming back, you can be much more aggressive, especially in the playoffs. The shot will be affected even if he doesn't block it.
With his improved ability to score from deep, Davis has a chance to live up to the hype surrounding him this year.
