The Los Angeles Lakers have had a see-saw season where at times they can beat any team in the league with the talent and quality in their roster. However, on other days, they have been short-handed due to injuries. While LeBron James is still nursing his injury, Anthony Davis took the matter into his own hands in their recent win against the Phoenix Suns.
The Lakers blew out the Suns as the game ended with a scoreline of 123-110 and AD finished the game with a mammoth 42 points and 12 boards along with five assists. Davis was subject to criticism after his return from injury as he did not look fully fit. But with every passing game, the power forward has only elevated the game and against Suns, he was determined to be the difference-maker for the Purple and Golds.
Recently former NBA Champion and current analyst Kendrick Perkins sat down to discuss Davis’ impact on the Lakers.
“When you look at what Anthony Davis does when he’s healthy, we’re talking about historical numbers like Shaq and Will. Anthony Davis is one of one, okay? He’s probably going down as the most skilled big ever, right under Hakeem Olajuwon… He can put it on the floor, he has a great handle… he got great stepbacks, fadeaways, turnarounds, he showed it… He impacts the game better than any other big in the game. We’re talking about the block of Jae Crowder, go back and look at the Denver Nuggets game, the game with the block that he stretched out when he was already in the paint.”
Perkins is absolutely spot on with his evaluation of Davis especially based on his performances against the Suns. He became the first Lakers’ player ever to score 42 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks, and 3 steals. AD has simply silenced his critics with a historic performance at a time of need.
The NBA at the moment has a lot of big men who are doing really well for their respective teams. Starting from Nikola Jokic to Joel Embiid as both of them are in the MVP conversation. However, Perkins says that when AD is healthy he has more impact on his team’s performances than any other big man in the NBA.
“He impacts the game so much. When you talk about Jokic and Embiid, they all had phenomenal years, but when you look at Anthony Davis, he just separates himself for his athleticism, the way he is able to play the four and the five… you may say that Jokic is a better passer, and he might be, but he’s in a different system, where the system has to be around Jokic, where Jokic has to be the playmaker,” Perkins added.
The Brow will look to drop more performances like these and try and get the Lakers out of the play-ins where they are right now.
