Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis came into the league as highly talented big man who can do it all. As the game as evolved throughout the years, Davis became a reliable midrange shooter and worked on extending out to the 3-point line.
After being traded to the Lakers in 2019, he saw an uptick in his 3-point attempts from 2.6 to 3.5. Davis’ midrange outside shooting proved to be the difference-maker in winning a championship in his first season with L.A.
However, through the following seasons, Davis saw a continuous drop in his efficiency and attempts and last season only attempted 1.3 per game at a 25.7% clip, which is actually an improvement from the season before when he shot just 18.6% on 1.8 triples per game. But heading into this season, head coach Darvin Ham has expressed that he wants to see his star player start to find that confidence in his jump shot.
Recently, Ham said he wanted to see Davis take six 3-pointers a game. People thought that was going a little overboard, so Ham clarified what he meant and that he still wants Davis to be aggressive at all three levels, via Michael Corvo of Clutch Points:
“People have been going crazy with that number. I just think it’s me saying: I want him to be aggressive from all three levels. I don’t want him to think ‘OK, man,’ and second-guess his shot. He catches it and no one’s in front of him or his defender is off of him, I want him shooting the ball from 3. If he happens to be in the corner, he catches it, I want him to shoot the ball from 3. While still being aggressive in the low post and the midrange. So, it’s not like I just want him to become this exclusive stretch big all of a sudden. I just want him to be aggressive from each and every spot on the floor.”
Davis shared the same sentiment as his coach, saying he will take 3s depending on the flow of the game and not having the mindset of taking a certain amount every game:
“It’s based on the style of play, the flow of the game. Some games, I might take one, some I might take none. Some I might take six. I don’t want to come in like ‘I need to shoot six’ and start thinking about that and start shooting bad shots, right? If I’m open, I’ll shoot it. Or if I’m in the rhythm, I’ll shoot it, but I don’t want to be hovering around the 3-point line too much all game.”
While fans want to see the big man find his shooting ways, it might have been concerning to hear Ham throw out the number he did for Davis’ attempts, although it is very reassuring to see that both are on the same page for not having a set number going into the season.
It is no secret that the Lakers go as far as Davis takes them, especially with his co-star LeBron James entering his 21st season. The Chicago native has made at least one 3-pointer in each preseason game he’s played in, making 4-of-10 overall, which is a good sign thus far.
Ham calls Davis the ‘heart and soul’ of the Lakers
By signing an extension this summer, Davis is going to be the cornerstone of the franchise up until at least 2028. He will have to demonstrate characteristics of being a leader this season and Ham believes that he is the ‘heart and soul’ of the team moving forward.
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