Anthony Davis believes the Los Angeles Lakers still have a good chance at making some noise this season despite a horrible start. He even recently declared that other teams are “for sure” wary of the Purple and Gold.
Anthony Davis on how other teams see the Lakers, even with their 2-6 start: "We have a lot of guys that teams have to worry about. We’re not the team that our record shows. But any given night our team can play very well and explode … I know teams fear us, for sure."
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) November 5, 2022
The Lakers were the laughingstocks of the league in the early part of the 2022-23 campaign after becoming the last squad to register a win. However, they rose a bit in the standings after posting two consecutive wins against high-quality opponents. The short streak bumped up their record to 2-5.
Unfortunately, L.A. couldn’t sustain its momentum on Friday, losing to the Utah Jazz. It was an uncharacteristic game from the Lakers, as they allowed Utah to score 130 points.
Still, there are plenty of positives that the squad can take from its recent games.
For one, Davis has continued his stellar play on the court. He is currently averaging a double-double with 23.0 points and 11.0 rebounds per contest. Notably, he has only missed one game so far in the 2022-23 campaign.
Another positive is that Russell Westbrook seems to be thriving off the bench. The former MVP has been posting better numbers and putting the ball in the basket more efficiently since coach Darvin Ham pulled him from the starting lineup.
Russell Westbrook is averaging 18.8 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 6.5 APG on 50.9% FG & 41.2% 3PT in his last 4 games 🔥 pic.twitter.com/nY9lZgI6n3
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) November 5, 2022
Lakers fans should also be thrilled that other scoring options have started to emerge for the team. One of them is fifth-year wing Lonnie Walker IV. The former first-round pick is averaging a career-high 16.5 points per game this season. If he can improve his 3-point percentage (31.8), he could make a greater impact.
L.A. will also likely become scarier once LeBron James is on the mend. The star has been dealing with some health issues in the previous days and even said that some sort of virus has kept him bedridden, resulting in lackluster performances in recent games.
The four-time MVP has not been his usual self this season, as his scoring average and efficiency are lower than usual. It remains to be seen if the mileage on the body of the 37-year-old is already taking its toll.
If that is the case, then Davis and company will have to step up in order for the Lakers to contend this season.
