Anthony Davis may (finally) be taking the torch from LeBron James

Editor’s note: This is the Monday, Dec. 5, edition of the Purple & Bold Lakers newsletter from reporter Kyle Goon. To receive the newsletter in your inbox, sign up here.

I don’t want to alarm anybody, but in the past 10 games, there are four teams that are 8-2: the Boston Celtics, the Phoenix Suns, the New Orleans Pelicans and … the Lakers.

WEEK IN REVIEW

Monday, L, Indiana Pacers 116, Lakers 115
Wednesday, W, Lakers 128, Portland Trail Blazers 109
Friday, W, Lakers 133, Milwaukee Bucks 129
Sunday. W, Lakers 130, Washington Wizards 119

The Lakers (10-12) are 12th in the Western Conference standings, 5.5 games behind the first-place Phoenix Suns (16-7). They’re one game behind the Dallas Mavericks (11-11) for a play-in slot and two games behind the Golden State Warriors (13-11) for a top-6 spot.

HIGH POINT: As good as Anthony Davis’ 55-point performance was – and it was very, very good – for the franchise, their four-point win over Milwaukee has to stand as the best game the team has played in a few seasons. It was high-level, all the stars on both sides were healthy, it featured fourth-quarter blow-for-blow possessions … and the Lakers won. While Giannis Antetokounmpo has now scored at least 40 in three straight games against the Lakers, he was edged ever so slightly by Davis, who had 44 points and helped seal things up at the line. Whatever comes out of the “Big Three” era for the Lakers, the clip of Russell Westbrook chasing down a loose ball to pass to LeBron James, who would dish off to Davis, will be emblematic of the highs of that trio.

LOW POINT: It feels almost unimaginable that the last two games have happened in the same week as the most disappointing loss of the season, in which the Lakers blew a 17-point fourth-quarter lead to Indiana. There was so much subtext already, given that Buddy Hield and Myles Turner (who frankly were average at best in the game) were both playing, creating an instant (if a little misleading) referendum on the Lakers’ decision not to trade for them this offseason. They had them right where they wanted them … then the Lakers went away from Davis on offense, couldn’t defend in transition, and frittered away the lead until a rookie hit a buzzer-beater on them. It was an absolute bummer of a finish, and James and Westbrook bore the most responsibility for mismanaging the game – and Darvin Ham didn’t look too good either. If the Lakers simply don’t blow that one, they would be .500 right now.

TRENDING TOPIC: There is a reason the Lakers traded for Davis, and after two injury-plagued seasons, he’s reminding fans what he can bring to the table at his peak. In the last 10 games, Davis is leading all NBA players in points (35.3 ppg) and rebounds (15.6 rpg) and is second in blocks (2.9). The Lakers have outscored opponents by 95 points in his 312 minutes during that span, and he’s shooting 64.8% from the field, even going 5 for 11 from three as he’s found his shooting touch.

It’s obvious that the Lakers will have success if the Lakers play this way (they have a plus-8.4 net rating in the last 10 games, 4th-best in the league). The more interesting question is whether a long-awaited moment is happening: Is the torch being handed down from the King to the Brow?

That’s a tricky and possibly loaded query, but especially this year for the Lakers, there needs to be a hierarchy. The team has been more competitive especially late in games when Davis gets shots and is involved. That seemed to be the biggest adjustment from the loss against the Pacers to the winning streak: In each of the last three games, Davis has shot at least seven times in the fourth quarter. In fact, when Davis shoots at least four times in the fourth quarter, the Lakers are 6-1. When he shoots three or fewer attempts, the Lakers are 3-10.

“They know I make him a top priority in terms of who we need to play through,” Ham said Sunday. “And again, (prioritizing Davis) makes everyone else’s life easier. Bron is still gonna be Bron. Russ is still gonna be Russ and dominate certain segments of the game. But the consistency of AD, from quarter to quarter and half to half, just being able to go to him and get something good every time.”

The biggest sign of the change afoot is James’ apparent acceptance that Davis needs to be the leading man. James has often said the team needs to play “through” Davis – which has felt more like a company line than an actual philosophy – but after the win over the Bucks, he called the big man the team’s “No. 1 option.” He’s deferred more recently, being the passer in the pick-and-roll instead of the chief scorer. On Sunday evening, James played a role that Davis has played to him many times: calling his teammate the best in the world.

“He’s been unbelievable, man,” James said, chuckling. “On both sides of the floor. I mean, playing like the MVP of this league. Just straight dominance. Straight dominance.”

READ OF THE WEEK: Is this more than a moment? It’s up to the Big Three to continue the synergy they found in the statement win in Milwaukee.

HEATING UP: Here’s something interesting: In his last three games, Russell Westbrook has been a plus-29 in just 19 minutes of impact … in the first quarter. Coming off the bench into the game, he’s given a shot of juice the Lakers clearly need, especially when it comes to playmaking: He’s had five first-quarter assists against both Milwaukee and Washington, especially helping Davis get rolling in both those games. Some of Westbrook’s shooting efficiency since he moved to the bench has leveled off (40.4% FG, 30.6% 3FG), but his passing has been much better, and his 15 assists in D.C. are a season-high.

COOLING DOWN: By the same token, it’s very puzzling what the Lakers are getting out of Patrick Beverley (0 for 4 against the Wizards) these days. It certainly isn’t shooting: This is by far the worst offensive season of his career, averaging 27.5% from the field and a dismal 22.2% from three. Ham has said he values Beverley’s defense … but of every Laker who averaged at least 23 minutes last week, Beverley and Troy Brown Jr. were the only players with a negative net rating, and Brown was benched Sunday in favor of Dennis Schröder. Beverley was a plus-5 on Sunday, but every other Lakers starter who played with Davis had a plus-minus rating of at least double digits, and he didn’t look particularly effective in the fourth as Kyle Kuzma ran past or shot over him, closing the gap to nine points in one instance. The biggest argument in Beverley’s favor is that NBA tracking data shows six Wizards turnovers came on possessions he was guarding, but playing him fourth-quarter minutes hurt the team’s spacing – and with Westbrook on the floor as well, it’s virtually impossible to justify (especially considering Lonnie Walker IV was 7 for 10). An extremely cynical view of the situation is the Lakers are propping up Beverley as a contributing player on a winning team until such a point when they can trade his $13 million contract (Dec. 15). But he has not been credible as a starter or a closer, despite Ham’s insistence that he’s a trusted veteran on this team.

INJURY REPORT: LeBron James acknowledged he tweaked his ankle on Sunday in a tie-up with Kyle Kuzma, but said he’d be ready to play Tuesday. It’s worth wondering how close a call that could be when he was already a game-time decision Sunday against the Wizards. Everyone else has been reasonably healthy:Davis is still listed with a back, but obviously that hasn’t affected him much lately. Max Christie was assigned to the South Bay Lakers on Monday morning.

QUOTABLE: Perhaps the best moment of Davis’ Sunday press conference came when a reporter suggested that this recent stretch of games was perhaps the best basketball of his career, or second-best to his stretch in the bubble. He casually picked up the mic: “They didn’t watch me in New Orleans?”

AHEAD OF THE CURVE: Coming up is Cleveland, where LeBron James is 3-0 since signing with the Lakers and often has some of his best games. But an even better match-up might be on Friday, where Davis has a chance to tangle with Joel Embiid in a match-up of perhaps the MVP favorite and Davis as someone trying to pry his way into the MVP conversation. The Lakers have to go just 2-2 this week to fulfill Davis’ stated goal of having an above-.500 road trip.

COMING UP (All times PT)

Tuesday, at Cleveland, 4:30 p.m. (TNT)
Wednesday, at Toronto, 4:30 p.m.
Friday, at Philadelphia, 4:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Sunday, at Detroit, 3 p.m.

– Kyle Goon

Editor’s note: Thanks for reading the Purple & Bold Lakers newsletter from reporter Kyle Goon. To receive the newsletter in your inbox, sign up here.

Related Articles