Lakers shouldn’t panic; Anthony Davis is the answer
It’s far too early for panic in Lakerland, but never too early for concern.
Blowing a 26-point game to the perpetually tanking Oklahoma City Thunder is one thing, especially with so many new parts and LeBron James sidelined with an ankle injury.
Never mind the irony in the statistically aware Russell Westbrook taking umbrage with Darius Bazley playing to the final buzzer in true Westbrook fashion, prompting an ejection from Westbrook after his outburst.
But the answer should be simple and indisputable, even with a healthy James — play through Anthony Davis.
It’s certainly not a new concept, no one’s breaking ground here, but it’s apparently easy to forget how dominant he can be when he’s healthy and showcased. Health is always relative, his legs often seem too long for his body when he awkwardly falls more than any coordinated big man in recent memory and he can have such a profound effect on games even when he’s a secondary figure.
And playing with James and now Westbrook makes it harder for him to assert himself if he wanted to, due to the dominant personalities and styles James and Westbrook exert.
It’s a catch-22, every potential answer presents another problem for a talented yet seemingly fundamentally flawed team. Playing Davis at center more is likely the best chance at maximizing this roster, but also exposes a player who gets hurt … to getting hurt.
Maximizing Westbrook in the effort to preserve Davis for the long haul means lots of counting stats for the triple-double king, but the decision-making leaves so much to be desired. Plus the roster isn’t designed for Westbrook to go Road Runner when his choices often reflect the thinking of Wile E. Coyote.
Of course, James is the ultimate decision-maker, perhaps the NBA’s best supercomputer. He can orchestrate just about any offense and generally figures things out as time goes on. But, James-led offenses are often conceived to have one person drive it — James himself.
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Source : yahoo
