JJ Redick addressed ESPN LA recently, where he spoke about how he plans to use Anthony Davis. Redick noted that the rest of the Lakers squad would have to pick up the load on defense so that Davis could thrive as an offensive player while pointing out that Darvin Ham's previous system didn't get the best out of Davis.
“We talked about as a stuff, and we're presenting to the players next week; What is our identity, what does it mean, what does Lakers basketball mean?... On both of those (offensive and defensive schemes), we have the word 'organized'."
"Part of empowerment with Anthony Davis is that we are organized defensively so he doesn’t have to do everything. We are organized offensively so we don’t go through 6-minute lapses with him not touching the ball. When I say 'Hub', it may be in the post, isolation, split action, or trail position. There's plenty of ways we can get him the ball, and he's going to have the ball.”
Anthony Davis is considered one of the best two-way players in the NBA. While his defensive prowess and rim protection are what he is best known for, there is no denying that he is a gifted scorer, especially in the interior. Forcing him to do much, if not all of the defensive work for the Lakers significantly limits what he can bring to the team as an offensive player.
Anthony Davis is an excellent post-player and should be utilized as such. This isn't to say that Davis shouldn't be asked to play defense, but just to have a lower workload on the defensive end of the court.
Unlocking him as an offensive player, something that Darvin Ham struggled to do due to the lack of his organization in the offensive and defensive structure, could help the Lakers become a far better team.
Davis, despite doing a lot of the defensive work last season, performed well offensively last season, averaging 24.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 3.5 assists. He attempted about 16.9 shots a game and made 9.4 shots per game, giving him a field goal percentage of 55.6%. If he can get his shot volume up next season, it could improve his scoring output greatly.
Allowing him to focus more on offense could lead to his scoring numbers improving drastically. Davis is capable of leading the NBA in scoring, and it is on his teammates to make sure he is in a position to be able to do that.
JJ Redick: We Have A Gift In Anthony Davis
While addressing the media with Rob Pelinka, JJ Redick was asked about the lack of a traditional big man on the Lakers at the center position. Redick noted that the team has a gift in Anthony Davis, as he is so versatile that he can play that position. And a traditional, big center wouldn't benefit their desired style of play.
"I think we have not only one of the best players in the world but one of the most unique players in the world in Anthony Davis."
"Because there are very few people that can do things that he can do at his size, just in terms of his ball handling, his skill level offensively, and certainly the fact that he's one of the best defensive players in the world... We have a gift that we have Anthony Davis. It's not a deterrent that we don't have a 7'2, 300-pound player. I'm not sure it's how we want to play anyway."
Redick clearly has a lot of faith in Anthony Davis and has good reason to be confident in his abilities. AD is coming off one of his best seasons in recent memory and played a key role in Team USA's gold medal win at the Olympics. Davis reminded a lot of fans just how good he can be when given the right tools and help.
For Redick, his job will be to maximize Davis going forward, as the Lakers need him in order to find any kind of success in what is a stacked Western Conference. If the roster they have can step up and deliver better performances than they have in the past few years, the Lakers could be a team to look out for.
