Ben Cooper | Sports Editor
January 28, 2022
Anthony Davis has returned to the court in major fashion for the struggling Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers have not lived up to their championship aspirations thus far, with injuries causing setbacks.
LeBron James and Davis have both missed significant time, leading to inconsistencies. Davis returned against the Brooklyn Nets, scoring eight points and blocking four shots in 25 minutes. Although the box score doesn’t show it, Davis impacted the game and helped the Lakers defeat the Nets.
His second game was more of what Lakers fans are accustomed to. With the surprise absence of LeBron, who woke up with left knee soreness, Davis was called upon to be the primary scorer. He dominated on both sides of the ball, scoring 31 points, grabbing 12 rebounds, and blocking four shots. Davis outplayed his matchup against one of the MVP frontrunners in Joel Embiid.
“With AD back, the Lakers should get back on track and climb their way up the standings,” senior Trevor Pham said. “AD brings defense back to the team, which has been the aspect they have been lacking the most. His scoring presence also takes the load off of LeBron and Westbrook’s shoulders.”
Unfortunately, the Lakers didn’t get much production from any other players, resulting in a loss.
While Los Angeles lost, it was expected with LeBron being ruled out. The takeaway is seeing how well Davis played, as he means so much to the team.
“I thought he played really well,” Lakers Head Coach Frank Vogel said. “It was great to see him get a rhythm… Anthony played a hell of a game on both sides of the ball.”
Davis and the Lakers need to get rolling to be a title contender once again. “I believe if Davis plays well coming off of his injury, the Lakers can still compete for a title,” senior Haze Brawner said. “They desperately need him to dominate in the paint.
His defensive presence has been missed, and being able to anchor that end of the floor will put them within reach of a championship.”
The Lakers have an uphill battle, but with Davis back, they should get back to being a top team in the NBA.
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