Why Anthony Davis can't be neutralized on offense anymore? Breaking down recent surge for Lakers

Anthony Davis' LA Lakers tenure has had tremendous highs and lows. He was considered among the top five players in the NBA after guiding the Lakers to a record 17th championship in 2020. Davis emerged as arguably the league's best two-way big man that year.

In 62 games, he averaged 26.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.3 blocks and 1.5 steals. He shot at an efficient 50/33/85 clip while leading the Lakers in scoring, becoming LeBron James' first teammate to do so.

Davis only improved in the postseason, posting 27.7 ppg, 9.7 rpg and 3.5 apg while shooting 57.1%, including 38.3% from the 3.

Playing next to a facilitator like James, elite perimeter defenders like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Alex Caruso and shot-blockers like Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee was the perfect setup for Davis. His shooting allowed him to play at his favored power forward position.

However, Davis' impact was neutralized in the next three seasons, from 2020-21 to 2022-23. His shooting numbers dropped, too, hindering his much-applauded versatility in his debut season with the Lakers. Davis was a dominant force in the paint, but that made him predictable.

His injury woes only disturbed his rhythm, and Davis couldn't find a way to return to his 2019-20 self. In 2021, he tallied only 21.3 ppg on 49.1% field goal and 26.0% 3-point shooting. He shot a dismal 37.1% on jump shots.

Davis averaged 23.1 ppg the following year, shooting 53.2%, but only 18.6% from the 3. His jump shot percentage didn't improve, either. Davis' shooting got worse, as he made 34.8% on jumpers.

That changed in 2022-23 to an extent. Davis averaged 25.9 ppg, shooting 56.3%. He got more accustomed to playing center full-time and did most of the damage in the paint. The jump shooting percentage improved to 39.7%. His 3-point shooting was still a concern (25.7%), but the mid-range game started to come back, as Davis shot a respectable 40.6%.

However, the volume remained low on shot attempts from eight feet and beyond. Teams started to double Anthony Davis frequently in the post, which the Lakers, or AD, had no answers for.

Davis got his way on most nights as the Lakers relied on transition play, but the half-court sets became increasingly tedious to run, with AD struggling against aggressive defensive schemes.

The story this season has been different, though. Whether doubled or not, Anthony Davis has found his way with the ball in his hands down low. Let's find out why that has been the case.

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Why Anthony Davis can't be neutralized on offense anymore?

Davis has been phenomenal in the 2023-24 NBA season. Despite averaging 24.7 ppg, 1.2 points fewer than last season, one could argue that this is the nine-time All-Star's best year yet. The 30-year-old seems a year wiser and more mature with the ball in his hands.

Davis may not have found the scoring versatility he had in 2019-20, but he has added other components to his game, which have made him have a similar impact or even better this year compared to the title-winning season.

The simple fix for Anthony Davis to return to his 2019-20 form was to shoot better than he had in the following three years. However, there hasn't been a significant improvement in that area.

Anthony Davis is shooting 30.9% from the deep, 35.7% from mid-range, less efficient than last season (40.1%). The jump shooting is 39.9% this year, marginally better than in 2022-23.

The Lakers half-court offense issues persisted early this season, with the facilitators struggling to get Anthony Davis going because of double teams. The Lakers struggling to shoot well from 3 as a team also piled on Davis' misery.

The lack of spacing created issues for him and pick-and-roll handlers, LeBron James, D'Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves. Once the shooting improved, so did the pick-and-roll efficiency. But when the jump shots didn't fall, doubling Davis was the go-to coverage for opposing teams, which worked just fine.

However, the recent improvement in Anthony Davis' decision-making with the ball has led to his and the Lakers' surge. LA got better at its half-court sets, with AD being a passing threat. The doubles nearly don't work anymore. In his first 25 games, Davis averaged 3.0 assists.

Since then, he has dished out 5.0 assists a game across 21 outings. The Lakers offense was 24th with a 111.6 efficiency before Davis figured out how he could neutralize double teams with his passing. Since the uptick in his assists numbers, the Lakers are tied for 15th offensively with a 116.1 rating.

The open looks generated from 3 with Davis at the elbow have significantly improved the Lakers from the deep. LA shot a measly 34.9% in the first 29 games of the season (ranked 25th) but is making 38.8% of its 3s in the last 23 games, good for the sixth-best mark.

At his height, Davis can make the most of the angles he spots at the elbow, allowing him to find someone cutting to the rim or across the floor on the 3-point line. Opposing teams can't seem to generate defensive schemes to limit Davis because of his quick decision-making and passing out of doubles.

Anthony Davis has already recorded two triple-doubles, matching recording a career-high 11 assists twice.

He has had 15 games with five assists or more, 11 of those coming in his last 21 games. The results are there to show for it, with the Lakers winning seven times in Davis' last 10 appearances.