Lakers News: Anthony Davis's Dominance on Full Display in Team USA Win Over France

Jeremy Hanna | Aug 11, 2024

Jul 31, 2024; Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France; United States center Anthony Davis (14) in the second quarter against South Sudan during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Pierre-Mauroy. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports / John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Despite leading for a majority of the game, Team USA's victory over France in the Olympic Finals was closer than it seemed. Still, the United States came out on top, earning their fifth consecutive gold medal.

While many people will point toward LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant as the standouts that made the win possible, Anthony Davis' contributions cannot be denied.

Although he only scored eight points in the USA's 98-87 victory, Davis was a dominating force on defense, leading the team with four blocks, two steals, and nine rebounds. In fact, he made up over half of Team USA's offensive rebounds.

For his defensive acumen, Davis earned an efficiency rating of 21, third on the team behind Curry and James.

It's because of this performance that former NBA player and Olympic gold medalist Andre Iguodala called Davis the "unsung hero" for Team USA alongside Devin Booker.

Throughout the tournament, Davis proved to be a necessary part that made the USA Men's Basketball machine work. He averaged 6.7 rebounds per game, the second highest behind James (6.8), and an efficiency rating of 16.8, once again second behind James (23.5).

Davis led the team in blocks, averaging 1.5 per game, and was third in steals, averaging 1.2 per game. However, he was right behind Derrick White (1.4) and James on that statistic.

This kind of performance shouldn't be surprising for anyone who has followed Davis' career. The only payer to win a gold medal, the NCAA Championship, the NBA Championship, and the FIBA World Cup, Davis has proven to be a defensive tour de force since he was 18.

In his single season at Kentucky, Davis averaged 4.7 blocks, 1.4 steals, and 10.4 total rebounds across 40 games. In the NCAA Finals against Kansas, he recorded 16 rebounds, six blocks, and three steals, earning himself the Most-Outstanding Player award for the tournament.

After a single season, Davis declared for the NBA, where he was chosen first overall in the 2012 NBA Draft by the New Orleans Hornets, now known as the New Orleans Pelicans. In 2019, Davis went over to the Los Angeles Lakers, and the rest is history.

Throughout his NBA career, Davis has averaged 24.1 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, and 1.3 steals per game. A nine-time All-Star, Davis has been named to the All-Defensive First Team three times and the All-defensive Second Team twice. He led the NBA in blocks in 2014, 2015, and 2018.

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