Anthony Davis Is Back, and So Is the Lakers’ Balance in Late-Season Playoff Push

The eight-time All-Star is putting up his best numbers in Los Angeles, overcoming injuries and criticism to put his name back among the NBA’s elite big men.

Anthony Davis is back.

Where ya been?

Where has the 40-points-against-the-Rockets-on-Sunday Davis been? Or the guy who collected 38 points and 17 rebounds in a must-ish win against the Timberwolves two nights earlier? Or the player who scored another 38 points against the Bulls before that? Over the last three games Davis has been shooting 65% from the floor.

Where has that guy been?

This season has been Davis’s best as a Laker. His scoring (26.3), rebounding (12.4) and shooting percentage (56.7%) are at four-year highs. Those numbers are even better since the All-Star break, when Davis shook off any lingering effects of the foot injury that cost him 20 games and reclaimed his place among the NBA’s top big men.

“Great rhythm,” Davis told reporters Sunday. “Feeling good, feeling like I’m back to myself before the injury. But we’re all playing well. The guys are making it easy for me. Our whole team is in a great rhythm.”

Davis has scored at least 38 points in each of the last three games on the Lakers’ current road trip :: Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA TODAY Sports

It’s true. Sunday’s win over hapless Houston was the Lakers' third straight. They have won six of the last seven. They have lost two games in a row just once since early February. Austin Reaves is shooting 41.1% from three since the All-Star break. On Sunday, Rui Hachimura posted his first 20-point game as a Laker, adding 12 rebounds and three blocks.

Everything begins with Davis. Lakers coach Darvin Ham’s message to Davis in recent weeks has been simple: Be aggressive. “He understands wholeheartedly what we need him to do,” Ham said. Against Houston, Davis got going early. He scored 27 in the first half. He shot 68% from the floor. A nasty ankle sprain in the second half of Friday’s game in Minnesota sent a chill through Los Angeles. On Sunday, Davis didn’t show any lingering effects from it.

“[Davis] is playing within himself, playing the game the right way, really not trying to force anything and definitely not settling,” said Ham. “Being in attack mode the entire time. It’s great. That energy, that rhythm is trickling down to the rest of our roster.”

Said Davis: “Just having fun and playing the game. Trying to do my part as one of the leaders of the team. My job is to go out there and make everyone’s job easier with scoring and defense and rebounding.”

And to be available. The most significant number attached to Davis isn’t points, rebounds or assists. It’s games played. Even with the midseason injury, Davis will play his most games since the 2019–20 season. Since his return in late January, Davis has missed just three games, all scheduled rest days on back-to-backs.

“Seeing the injuries he has had over the last few years, it always hurt me,” Lebron James said. “I know it hurts him a lot worse, but [he’s been dedicated] to get back and at times playing through it, not even telling people when he’s injured. Trying to play through it until he can’t play anymore.”

With Davis dominating, James can slip into a secondary role the Lakers have long envisioned. Davis’s play, said Ham, allows James to “save his bullets.” James was more playmaker than scorer against Houston, finishing with an 18-point, 11-assist, 10-rebound triple double. It’s not that James isn’t playing hard, said Ham, “but we are not depending on him for every single thing.”

“We came together because we want to be on the floor together and make magic,” James said. “He’s definitely making magic right now.”

Davis’s dominance has allowed James to act as a playmaker, evident in his triple double vs. Houston.  :: Erik Williams/USA TODAY Sports

So are the Lakers. The 2–10 start? Gone. An ugly December? Ancient history. The Russell Westbrook era? That feels like a lifetime ago. Sunday’s win bumped L.A. to 40–38, the first time it has been two games above .500 all season. The Lakers are tied for seventh place in the Western Conference with New Orleans—and a half game back of the Clippers for fifth.

“We always said we want to get stronger as the season gets longer,” Ham said. “And be playing our best basketball at the right time. Well, the time is definitely right.”

The Lakers wouldn’t have won the 2020 title without Davis. He was dominant in the NBA’s Orlando bubble. But the last two seasons have been difficult. Bounced in the first round in ’21. Missing the playoffs entirely last season. It’s led to a swell of criticism that, as good as Davis is, perhaps L.A. gave up too much for him.

That criticism has quieted. The Lakers are closing in on a playoff spot—Wednesday’s showdown with the Clippers will be massive—and an opportunity to make a deep run when they get there. Davis won’t make an All-NBA team, but he’s back to being an All-NBA player. And it’s clear he’s enjoying the moment.

“[We] control what we can control,” Davis said. “Every time we step on the floor we control our own destiny. We go out to win basketball games and let the rest take care of itself.”