The defending champion Los Angeles Lakers have to be feeling pretty good about things at the moment. At 12-4 on the season, they currently hold the best record in the NBA, and they’ve won eight out of their last 12 games. All the while, LeBron James, at age 36, continues to build a strong case as a leading MVP candidate.
In fact, things have been going so well that you might be forgiven for not noticing the way Anthony Davis has struggled of late — according to his own lofty standards. Davis has been held under 20 points in the last five contests, which marks his lowest-scoring stretch since joining the Lakers. He’s also shot below 40 percent from the field in those games and a paltry 63 percent from the free throw line.
His comments came on the heels of a win over the Bucks on Thursday night, during which he shot 8-for-18 from the field and converted just two of his five foul shots. When speaking to reporters after the game, Davis didn’t pull any punches about his performances in recent outings.
“Right now, to be hard on myself, man, I think I suck right now,” Davis said after finishing with 18 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 blocks. “I’m not making shots. I’m not making free throws. But I think tonight my aggressiveness, just being a [post-up threat] and getting to the paint, allowed guys to get open.”
Still, that self-assessment undersells the impact of his play-making, as he assisted on three crunch-time three-pointers to help seal the victory against Milwaukee. In general, this mostly serves to put the rest of the league on notice. If the Lakers are playing this well with Davis logging subpar stats, it’s a scary thought how good they can be when Davis is playing at his peak.
(ESPN)
