Getty Forward Anthony Davis talks to the media as he is introduced by his new team, the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers’ big offseason acquisition, Anthony Davis, has been mostly quiet so far since being traded to the Lakers. Outside of his introductory press conference, Davis has kept a mostly low profile – only appearing at occasional Summer League games and what looks to be a grueling set of offseason workouts documented on Instagram.
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Anthony Davis Putting In Offseason Work Ahead of Lakers’ Debut [Video]
Davis has noticeably put on some muscle this offseason compared to his frame on the Pelicans. While not one to be overpowered by bigger players down low, it seems Davis is working on bulking up even more in order to be able to effectively impose his will on the block. Previously with the Pelicans, Davis relied on his exceptional touch and elite body control to create easy looks around the rim. However, with an added strength component factored into the mix, Davis should have an even more diverse skillset around the rim.
While not an elite shooting big man, Davis can step back and knock down shots with some consistency. He hasn’t played alongside the caliber of playmaker that LeBron James is previously and it should be interesting to see how he responds to the possibility of getting a lot more open looks from mid-range and deep. Davis has been working with renowned shooting coach LethalShooter to refine his form and seeing an uptick to consistently shooting around the league average from deep should do wonders for the Lakers’ floor spacing around Davis and James.
The Lakers have already put a number of shooters in place to surround Davis and James, however, if Davis shows an improved ability to step back out and knock down the deep ball with consistency, the spacing should do wonders to open up easy driving lanes to the rim. Especially with James functioning as the primary facilitator in the offense, the ability to stretch the defense should help tremendously with getting new addition DeMarcus Cousins more involved for easy looks around the rim in pick and roll sets.
Lakers Add Kostas Antetokounmpo on Two-Way Contract
The younger brother of NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kostas Antetokounmpo showed off flashes of an impressive ceiling last year in the G-League. While an incredibly raw talent, Antetokounmpo shares a number of the physical traits that help make his brother such a dominant force in the NBA. With excellent length and athleticism, Antetokounmpo has already put together excellent defensive minutes at the G-League level and averaged 0.9 steals and 1.4 blocks per game.
Offensively, he is a bit more of a traditional forward compared to the facilitator his brother is, yet uses his size and athleticism well to finish efficiently around the rim. As he continues to grow and develop as a player, expect his offensive game to take some sizeable steps forward as he grows into a solid contributor at the NBA level. Look for some quality minutes from the newest two-way addition this season as he continues on his rapidly improving trajectory.
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