[ad_1]
After the Los Angeles Lakers lost Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals to the Houston Rockets, Anthony Davis, or someone in his camp, leaked that he would be more than willing to play center against Houston. As the series progressed, he did so, culminating with him starting at position Thursday, with the Lakers fully embracing their new (smaller) ball identity.
Davis ‘hesitation to play the 5 has been a story all season, but after the Lakers’ 110-100 win, Davis played down the serious concern that is for him right now.
“He’s the playoff man, I really don’t care where I play to be honest,” Davis told reporters on Zoom.
The Lakers have taken advantage of that so far. After playing just 40% of his minutes at center during the regular season, his lowest time there in the past five seasons, Davis has been more than happy to clinch a spot in the postseason lineup, playing 59%. of his time there. since the playoffs began, according to Basketball-Reference.
Davis says part of that is that even when he plays “center” in this series against the Lilliputian Rockets, he doesn’t actually play. center the way it would be in the regular season, when you want to save your body price.
“They don’t really have five,” Davis said. “It’s a long season, but in the playoffs, I just go out and play no matter where the coach puts me on the court. I will fight independently. “
Davis certainly has, fighting on the glass to make sure the Lakers smash possessions, spinning like crazy on defense and throwing shots from mid-range to help the Lakers take a 3-1 lead in their series of second round.
His versatility to switch between roles – and succeed in all of them – is a big part of why Lakers head coach Frank Vogel feels he is so valuable.
“Obviously, the less you have to double down in this league, the better your defense will be. The more you can change and have flexibility, the better your defense will be. The more he has protection on the rim, the better his defense will be, and Anthony brings all of those to the table, ”Vogel said.
“He’s the Defensive Player of the Year in my opinion and a big reason for our success this season,” Vogel continued. “You’ve seen his impact in this series with what he’s capable of defending several highly talented offensive players.”
For Davis, who is one game away from his first appearance in the Western Conference Finals of his career, the reason for his willingness to step up now is simple.
“I want to win,” Davis said. “The guys have enough confidence in me, the coach has enough confidence in me and I have enough confidence in myself to go out there and compete and do what I do to help the team win.”
For more Lakers talk, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast at iTunes, Spotify, Stapler or Google Podcasts. You can follow Harrison on Twitter at @hmfaigen.
[ad_2]
