One early season takeaway for the Lakers: the margins are razor. And in order for the Lakers to salvage their season with a limited roster in the midst of a turbulent start, they'll need Anthony Davis at his very best. In Sunday's win over the Nets, that's exactly who he was.
As important as Davis' 37 points and 18 rebounds were, his stat line is a representation of the mentality he brought into the game — one he'll need to carry with him for the remainder of the season. According to Davis, the motivation for his performance came from Lambeau Field.
Though Davis is a proud native of Chicago, he's an avid Packers fan. On Sunday, Davis made it clear that he was fueled by Green Bay's upset victory over the Cowboys, which resulted in him putting forth a dominant performance against Brooklyn hours later.
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"I was watching the Packers game before today and Aaron Rodgers threw a slant to Allen Lazard, he ran for like 40 yards. And he started [screaming] and flexing and all that, and it got me some motivation before the game," Davis told reporters.
Here’s AD on this ⬇️ https://t.co/lKAfomhMLj pic.twitter.com/AwySA4dL5J
— Michael Corvo (@michaelcorvoNBA) November 14, 2022
Pure motivation:
Big catch for @AllenLazard in OT!#DALvsGB | #GoPackGo
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) November 14, 2022
📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/KaG3OQSWJu
"Just trying to dominate. Be dominant," he continued. "Knowing that we had to get this win, knowing that a lot of guys — especially with [LeBron James] out — a lot of guys lean on me to try to get the job done."
Like the Packers, Davis and the Lakers entered Sunday on a five-game skid and in search of answers to turn things around, adding context to Davis' declaration of it being a must-win game. While Green Bay's 4-6 record is a bit more aesthetically pleasing than LA's 3-10 mark, the beauty of an 82-game season is that the Lakers have plenty of time to continue to turn things around.
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While James remains sidelined with an adductor injury and the Lakers await the season debuts of free agent additions Thomas Bryant and Dennis Schroder, things start and end with Davis, who, after missing 42 games last season, has been largely available for his team.
With a short-handed roster, there's no question that everyone leans on Davis to get the job done, including head coach Darvin Ham. Davis knows this, too, evidenced by a promise he made to his new head coach ahead of Sunday's game.
Darvin Ham says he and Anthony Davis had an important heart-to-heart after the Lakers’ last loss: “He said ‘I got your back, Coach,’ and that was huge for me.” pic.twitter.com/eugl3uG97P
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) November 14, 2022
It might not be in Davis' personality to tell Lakers fans to "R-E-L-A-X," but his approach of the heartfelt promise to a head coach might hold just as much weight. The motivation he draws from Green Bay could be enough to help this Lakers team get back on track.
We'll see if both of Davis' teams can turn things around after disappointing starts to the season.
