Lakers: Anthony Davis Has the "Hunger" Again

LeBron James kept it short and sweet when explaining AD's recent play.

Anthony Davis has been on a tear since returning from the knee injury he suffered in mid-December. Davis missed seventeen games and now, is making up for lost time. AD has been nothing short of dominant in his last five games.

After the Lakers 122-115 win against the Knicks on Saturday, LeBron James provided his opinion for why Davis has played at such an elite level after coming off a major injury.

“The time that he missed brought back the hunger. Literally it’s that simple.”

Prior to his injury, Davis seemed passive at times on the offensive end. Now, he’s playing with an edge again.

In his 27 games before the injury, Davis averaged 23.3 points per game, 9.9 rebounds per game, and was converting 52.1% of his field-goals. AD is averaging 29.2 PPG, 13.2 RPG, and shooting 57.8% in his last five contests.

It’s not just AD’s offense that’s kept the Lakers competitive while LeBron missed five games with a knee injury of his own. Davis’ defensive versatility and shot-blocking ability have dramatically improved the Lakers defense as a whole.

The Lakers ranked 24th in defensive rating (115.1) in AD’s absence. That mark stands at 109.6 (7th) since the four-time All-Defensive team forward was activated off the injury list.

Davis also allows the Lakers greater flexibility in defending pick and roll actions since he’s one of the few bigs who can cover smaller, quicker guards on the perimeter. His teammates don’t have to automatically fight tooth-and-nail over screens. It allows the Lakers to give teams multiple defensive looks against one of the more commonly run plays in the NBA. 

AD will continue to be a huge factor down the stretch for the Lakers. The Lakers current nine-seed in the West should help keep him plenty hungry.