NBA – Dirty humiliation for Anthony Davis at the Lakers: “They are no longer afraid of…

On paper, Anthony Davis is having a high-flying season for the Lakers. But appearances are sometimes a little deceiving and The Athletic thus revealed a huge flaw in the big man’s file, after an in-depth investigation. She is so annoying that she could well destroy the Purples and Golds’ title hopes.

We’re not going to hide it, a victory against the Suns tonight would do the Lakers the greatest good.

With 12 wins for 9 losses (7th in the Western Conference), the Californians are still far from scaring everyone as they aim for the title. And if LeBron James continues to impress on the court as he turns 39, the case of Anthony Davis is much more delicate at the moment.

The former Pelicans certainly averages more than 22 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks per game and displays good overall shooting success (54.6%), but this comes at the expense of a crucial element: his shooting, which is at half-mast.

Johan Buva notably carried out his investigation into the interior on behalf of The Athletic and the least we can say is that his conclusions are particularly humiliating at the moment.

Anthony Davis no longer scares anyone in shooting

The rumor in training camp that Davis’ jump shot had returned was unfounded. Not only has his shooting not improved this season, but it is significantly worse than in the past. Davis has made just 3 of 11 three-pointers this season (27.3%) in 19 games.

His average is 0.61 attempts per game, the lowest since 2014-15. That figure represents about a tenth of the six attempts Ham requested during training camp.

Davis shot three-pointers well in the preseason, making six of 13 attempts in five games (around 2.6 attempts per game). But this did not carry over to the regular season. It’s not just because of three-point shots:

Davis has trouble hitting jump shots, period. He is shooting just 17.7% from outside the paint and has only taken 15% of his shots from mid-range, which is by far the lowest rate of his career.

Teams are no longer afraid of Davis’ jump-shot, they appreciate it. This largely explains his lack of offensive consistency and is a key reason why the Lakers’ offense has been so easy to thwart.

Teams rarely worry about Davis hitting a mid-range shot or a three-pointer. In fact, he went from a versatile scorer during the title season to a one-dimensional scorer today.

It seems terrible for The Brow, but the numbers unfortunately don’t lie. Los Angeles only has the 25th offensive rating in the league at the time of writing and the fact that AD is not more effective away from the circle is no stranger to this.

Not only does it become more predictable in attack, but it also becomes the case for the Purples and Golds. An often fatal flaw in the title race.

As The Athletic rightly says, the success of the Lakers in 2023-24 will greatly depend on Anthony Davis’ shooting.

If he fails to adjust the sights, the inside will certainly stop trying his luck from afar and thus clog the racket. Not ideal when you have players like LeBron James on the roster, in particular.