Anthony Davis has stirred up some unrest among the Los Angeles Lakers faithful with a recent admission about his offseason work.
In an appearance on esports team Nuke Squad’s YouTube vlog, Davis said he hadn’t touched the ball since April 5 — when he played his last game of the 2021-22 season. That made a part of the fanbase question the 28-year-old’s offseason preparations, even though he has said in the past that he typically doesn’t start basketball drills until four to six weeks before the start of training camp.
But the forward seems to be ramping up his practice activity, as private shooting coach Chris Matthews AKA Lethal Shooter tweeted that he worked out with Davis on Tuesday:
Great workout today getting my brother Anthony Davis ready for next season. It’s been over a year and a half since we locked in! God is truly good to help others master The Art of Shooting. BROTHER 4 LIFE! -Stay locked in!🎯 #NBA #LethalShooter pic.twitter.com/9ZReSmDbzQ
— Lethal Shooter (@LethalShooter__) June 15, 2022
Although Lethal Shooter didn’t make it in the NBA, he’s been one of the most sought-after shooting coaches. He’s worked with a slate of male and female stars, including Anthony Edwards, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Skylar Diggins-Smith and Candace Parker, as well as Davis in the past.
Head coach Darvin Ham has said Davis will be the “key” to making the Lakers compete for the title again. L.A. would mightily benefit from the forward improving his shot, as he has struggled to get buckets further away from the basket over the last two years — making just 22.9% of his triples during that time.
Also, Davis has missed about half of the games since the 2019-20 title run due to injuries.
Ham discusses similarities between Davis and Giannis Antetokounmpo
Ham has experience working with star forwards having coached two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo while with the Milwaukee Bucks. The new Lakers head coach sees certain similarities between L.A.’s big man and the Bucks leader.
“But in terms of AD and Giannis [Antetokounmpo] the comparisons they’re slightly different players, but they’re both dynamic in the sense that they are multifaceted to be the at the size that they’re at,” he said.
“And a lot of ground gets made up in the breakdowns, the defensive breakdowns, and the offensive breakdowns.”
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