Anthony Davis is one of the NBA’s best defensive players right now. Ever since entering the league, the LA Lakers big man has built a reputation for being a solid defensive player. However, Davis hasn’t been used to his maximum ability to defend this season.
Anthony Davis takes a dig at Darvin Ham
Davis is having an incredible year, averaging 24.7 points, 12.3 rebounds and 2.4 blocks. But the Lakers have not been a great defensive team this season. They’re in the middle of the pack on defense, and many have complained that the team needs to improve.
Their All-Star big man, Davis, slightly took a dig at his coach, Darvin Ham, for his defensive strategies that involve the two-way big man on “The Backyard Podcast.”
“A lot of coaches don’t trust my defensive say …I feel like pick and rolls should always be two-on-two, with me in it,” Davis said.
“I can guard. I can do both. I can stop the guard from coming off to shoot, and if you throw it, I can get back. I’m so special of a player defensively that it f***s team up.”
Davis pointed out that with him as one of the defenders of the pick-and-roll, the Lakers wouldn’t have had to give up a significant amount of open shots. In many instances, the team sends a help defender while guarding the pick-and-roll. That leaves opposing teams with an open shooter or cutter.
The Lakers big man has the speed and length to alter shots in the pick-and-roll. However, the decision to put him as a defender on certain plays relies on the coaching staff.
Anthony Davis lauds Rui Hachimura in the starting lineup
The Lakers (27-25) have had inconsistent starting lineups this season. Due to this, fans have not seen any consistency with the team. Originally, the starting five included Anthony Davis, LeBron James, D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves and Jarred Vanderbilt.
However, Vanderbilt has suffered an injury recently. This made the coaching staff look for other options in the frontcourt. The player chosen to take on the starting responsibility is Rui Hachimura. Both James and Davis are in favor of the recent roster change. The big man shared the reason behind it.
“He’s 6-8, so we can post him up. …The bigger guys are probably gonna be on me and Bron, so then they can try to put a good defender who is usually a bigger guy on D-Lo and AR, so Rui is usually left with a smaller guy,” Davis said.
Hachimura was the starter for the past two games, with both resulting in wins. Although he isn’t a big-time scorer, many are expecting him to make the most out of the chances he’s given.
