Lakers News: Inconsistency Of Trick-Or-Treat Anthony Davis Plaguing LA
Maximum salaried Los Angeles Lakers center Anthony Davis had a rough go of it during LA's Game 2 stinker against the Golden State Warriors, a 127-100 blowout loss. In Game 1, Davis had emerged as a hero for the Lakers, a dominant two-way force who logged 30 points, 23 rebounds, five assists, and four blocks while manning the middle and keeping the Warriors largely out of the restricted area.
Things changed in Game 2. Draymond Green logged significantly more defensive time on Davis. Golden State made more of a point to attack the paint. Stephen Curry became more of a distributor than a pure shooter. But none of that can totally explain AD's 11 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the floor, seven rebounds, four assists (against four turnovers), three blocks and a steal. He was outplayed by both Draymond (11 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists) and JaMychal Green (15 points in 12:32), at least on offense.
After the loss, Mark Medina of The Sporting Tribune bemoaned the inconsistency of Davis during these playoffs. In LA's previous matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies, Davis followed up a 22-point, 12-rebound, seven-block Game 1 performance with a 13-point affair on 4-of-12 shooting in Game 2. In Game 3, The Brow submitted 31 points and 17 rebounds. Game 4 was, accordingly, a letdown again. He scored 12 points on 4-of-13 shooting.
"Why does he appear completely unstoppable in one game and then completely ineffective in another one?" Medina wrote. "Why can he excel in one game regardless of play calls or defensive schemes and then suggest his performances depend on those variables in other games?"
"I’m skeptical that Davis struggled just because of the heavy workload he had in Game 1. The Lakers didn’t practice on Wednesday and didn’t hold a shootaround on Thursday," Medina continued. "He spent that time recovering and receiving treatment. Barring suffering a major ailment that has been kept secret, it’s hard to believe that short turnaround time would make someone of Davis’ caliber so limited... Fortunately for the Lakers, Davis has proven he can bounce back from poor showing. Unfortunately for the Lakers, Davis has followed that cycle too many times already."
Medina is absolutely right. Why Davis can't produce consistently on offense has proven to be an enigma. It's up to the Lakers coaching staff to figure this out, and fast.
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