Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis has had to adjust over the past couple years to the ebbs and flows of his jump shot.
During the 2019-20 Lakers championship season, Davis was elite from the midrange and hit 3-pointers at just about a league-average rate. But injuries the last few seasons have derailed that jumper and made Davis inefficient from just about everywhere outside of the paint.
This season, though, Davis has begun to turn things around in his favor once again. He’s shooting triples at the best rate of his career — 36.8% on 0.8 attempts per game — and is converting at his best rate from the free throw line since 2019-20 at 82.%.
Davis has been especially efficient in his last handful of games, shooting 61.8% from the field and 50% from 3-point range in his last four outings.
Davis has been trying to turn things around as a jump shooter for several years now, and is finally seeing the results of that work.
“Just getting back to a complete game, three levels. Been confident in every shot that I take. That’s really it,” Davis explained of the turnaround.
Austin Reaves has also noticed Davis’ improvement and discussed how it affects the Lakers offense and how teams have to guard them.
“A lot. Anytime he can spread the floor, you have to respect the jump shot. So when he gets it into the mid-post and 15 to 17 feet, you can’t just play off of him and play for a drive,” Reaves said.
“You have to, like I said, press up, and that gives him many options that ultimately at the end of the day, you have to double him. And then that’s when he can really be a playmaker and see the backside of the defense, and we’ll continue to get open threes and then just make them after that.”
The Lakers are undoubtedly a better team when Davis can score from the perimeter. The team’s general lack of elite three-point shooters means everyone has to at least be respected from multiple areas in order for the offense to have the space it needs to operate.
Davis slowly regaining his form as a jump shooter drastically raises the ceiling of the Lakers offense, perhaps beyond what it was when the Lakers won it all in 2020.
Anthony Davis enjoyed In-Season Tournament banner ceremony
The Lakers got a small taste of hanging a victory banner on Monday night when they celebrated their In-Season Tournament championship. And while it’s not the same as an actual championship, Davis still enjoyed the Lakers celebrating their accomplishment.
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