Getty Lakers star Anthony Davis
Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham issued a powerful statement on Anthony Davis after the purple and gold defeated the Memphis Grizzlies on March 7.
Ham said Davis, who put up 30 points and 22 rebounds against the Grizzlies, has been playing like a “monster” lately.
“He’s playing like a monster, man,” Ham said. “It’s so fun to just watch him play free, play happy and just make plays all over the place. … He’s been tremendous.”
The Grizzlies had no solutions for Davis, who shot 11-of-17 from the floor, 1-of-2 from beyond the arc and 7-of-9 from the free-throw line. The All-Star had a plus-minus of +24 as the Lakers improved to 32-34. Seeds 7-10 in the West make the play-in tournament, while seeds 1-6 automatically qualify for the postseason.
Darvin Ham Calls Anthony Davis ‘Wilt’ Davis
Ham told reporters that he calls Davis “Wilt Davis.” The Lakers tactician believes the Brow has been playing like Wilt Chamberlain.
“Early on in the summer,” Ham said when he was asked when he started calling Davis by his nickname. “That’s when I’m like, ‘You know, I got a nickname for you.’ And I didn’t really unveil it, but especially when he went on that tear that he had earlier on. I think it was 10 games, nine games or something like that. That’s when it really came out. Full blown Wilt Davis.”
Davis is averaging 26.5 points and 12.5 rebounds this season while shooting 56.3% from the field. He has 30 double-doubles and is carrying the load while LeBron James recovers from his right foot tendon injury. AD is averaging 33.8 points and 13.5 rebounds since James hurt his foot against the Dallas Mavericks on February 26.
“Wilt, I mean, [the] things he’s done in this league is unreal,” Davis said. “To be able to be in a category with him, but for Coach to think that, he’s been around for a long time, seen a lot of players, as a player, as a coach. So for him to think that highly of me, obviously, it’s an honor.”
The Lakers Are Playing Well; D’Angelo Russell Could Return Soon
The Lakers are playing well as of late. They are 7-3 over their last 10 games and starting point guard D’Angelo Russell could make his return to the lineup on March 10 against the Toronto Raptors.
“The Lakers could be getting reinforcement on Friday, as they are targeting their matchup with the Raptors as the return date for D’Angelo Russell, who has missed the past six games with an ankle injury he suffered in the first game after the All-Star break,” Jovan Buha of The Athletic wrote on March 7. “Russell has been listed as day-to-day for nearly two weeks. Though he was ruled out before his pregame workout Tuesday, he still worked out on the Crypto.com Arena hardwood an hour before tip-off, going through a series of dribbling and shooting drills. Russell is the only Laker who won’t be resting on Wednesday, as the Lakers are putting him through a playgroup.”
Russell is averaging 17.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists on the season with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lakers. The one-time All-Star is putting up 13.5 points and 5.0 assists per game in four starts with Los Angeles.