Anthony Davis calls out LA Lakers' effort on defensive end: "We just haven’t been defending and that’s where our struggles have been"

LA Lakers superstar Anthony Davis had some harsh criticism of the team when addressing their recent struggles in performance. Highlighting the team's defensive shortcomings as their major flaw, Davis listed how he has been trying to help the team get things under control.

The Lakers haven't been a particularly successful unit this season. With a 15-21 record, Purple and Gold find themselves among the lower tier of teams in the West. Although they notched a rather impressive win prior to the turn of the year, the Lakers are far from being in a favorable position.

Having lost five of their last eight games, the Lakers are evidently in a rut. A major reason for this set of poor outings also has to do with superstar big man Anthony Davis' unavailability.

After suffering a leg injury during the game against the Denver Nuggets, Davis has been out of the Lakers' lineup for an extended amount of time. This has put the team in a rather difficult spot, considering the role the superstar has played.

As the focal point of the offense and a defensive anchor for the team, Davis is beyond essential to the team's efforts. However, in his absence, the Lakers have only been able to compensate him for his offensive contributions.

Needless to say, the Lakers' defense has been in shambles. This is evident as the team have given up more than 120 points in five of their last eight games. This is a major point of concern, and it is one that Anthony Davis addressed in a recent interview as well.

While providing an update on his injury and recovery, AD also provided some insight on the team's current state. While highlighting the defensive lapses, he said:

"I think our main [struggle] is defensively. We took a huge dip defensively. I think maybe three games in a row we gave up like 130 which is not us. It’s not the team we’ve been. Even when I was in the lineup we took some dips, but that’s my biggest thing right now."

"Obviously being the anchor of the defense and guys thinking like, ‘Okay, AD in on the back line,’ which allows us to do different schemes defensively when I’m on the floor. Just been trying to give these guys my insight on the defensive end, looking at clips, grabbing the iPad and showing guys when they come out, things like that. The offense though, we’ve been scoring."

"We just haven’t been defending and that’s where our struggles have been. Transition, rebounding, everything on the defensive end."

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This is a major matter of concern for the LA Lakers. How the team managed to bounce back and make up for it, however, is something to look forward to.

Read: Zach Lowe predicts LA Lakers doom without Anthony Davis: "The Lakers have no shot on defense without [him]"

Anthony Davis speaks about his injury

With Anthony Davis out of the rotation, the LA Lakers have been ridiculously undermanned. However, there appears to be some positive news.

Davis spoke about his injury during a recent interview with Spectrum SportsNet's Mike Trudell. While mentioning that he felt a lot better, he also added that the pain had "subsided tremendously."

While providing an update regarding his injury, the superstar also shed some light on how the injury occurred. Considering that Davis was pain-free for the majority of the season leading up to his injury, the Lakers are certainly missing their superstar, who played some of the best basketball of his career.

Purple and Gold have seen LeBron James take over yet again. However, as made apparent by their record, this hasn't been a successful endeavor for the most part.

Read: NBA world in awe as LeBron James puts up near 47-pt triple-double on 38th birthday