Let’s talk about “Big Eyebrow Brother” Anthony Davis.
As one of the best inside players in the league today, how does Davis achieve his dominance on both offense and defense? What are his advantages and disadvantages as the core of the team?
The first word is "basic disk".
Davis is one of the most special superstars in the league today, and one of the reasons why he is special lies in his extremely high "basic base" on both offense and defense - that is, even on those nights where he feels the worst, He can still have a game impact at the top 10-15 level in the league. And unlike some "high base" players whose upper limit is nailed down, he can also have a very high upper limit in the best version.
defense
defense is an important reason why Davis has become the player with the highest "basic base" in the league.
is different from most superstars who use offense as their signature - although Davis also shines on the offensive end, defense is his real "signature".
A few days ago, a reporter asked Davis in an interview what he thought of his defense. Davis replied:
"I think I can do everything. I can defend pick-and-rolls, I can defend inside and outside, and I am on the defensive end. There's nothing that can't be done. I guard some of the top wings in the league, and no one really wants to try to post me up. People can have their opinions and opinions, but I know that when it comes to guarding the pick-and-roll, one-on-one, Block shots, rebounds, anything on the defensive end, you name it and I can do it."
He wasn't bragging.
Yes, there are many big men in the league who are very good at defending, such as Gobert, Embiid, Giannis, Luo, jjj - but they either cannot switch to small men as frequently as Davis, or they cannot stand alone If you support the inside line, you may easily get into foul trouble.
Most giants have shortcomings, but not Davis.
In addition to not being good at covering the top low-post monsters like Jokic and Embiid (but the actual reason is that they are unsolvable one-on-one), Davis, as the fifth position in the small ball era, is perfect.
He has a very scary defensive coverage area, has top-notch rim protection ability, can frequently force delays, switch defensive backcourt players, and can withstand most insiders - you can immediately use the above four points. I found the corresponding masterpiece in my mind:
averaged 4.3 blocks per game in the Grizzlies series, teaching the best defensive player 3j how to behave; against the Heat and Warriors, he frequently delayed switching defenses on the perimeter, and even faced Butler throughout the game; in the past two seasons, he played 100 with the Lakers % of the time he appears at the center position, and he plays every center in the league...
At the same time, he is also top-notch in details such as defensive position selection and foul control ability.
In my opinion, he is one of the best defensive players of this era.
Let’s talk about the other end of the court.
Offensive
On the offensive end, Davis's fundamentals come from his smooth attack under the screen.
First of all, he is a very high-quality screener who can skillfully execute various types of screens and has very clever timing for the downswing - but this is not the most critical thing.
There are many solid screeners in the league, but there are not many who have such a huge downward threat as Davis - if the defender is higher up, you will throw to the sky; if the defender is lower, you will pass the ball Ground - As long as he gets the ball, Davis can finish.
And when you play pick-and-roll with Davis, there is almost no possibility of strong delay in the opponent's interior. The ball handler will benefit from this - Davis is like an amplifier when playing the pick and roll, not only able to score himself, but also amplifying the threat of the ball handler in the pick and roll.
In addition, Davis can not only drive down the frame, but also shoot outside the basket - which gives the ball handler and coach more options (and more ball rights).
Davis is a rare big man in the league today who possesses athletic talent, finishing skills and toughness. His physical talent determines that the threshold for restricting him from attacking the frame is particularly high. He has a very soft touch and some guard-like footsteps, which allows him to find advantages and ways to "break defense" when facing some tall centers.
Finally, he is also at the top of the league in terms of aggressiveness and toughness in attacking the frame - basically as long as he can hit the inside, Davis will not shoot; as long as he can dunk, he will never choose a small hook - -This "lethality" is also an important guarantee for his basic base. (The counter-example is naturally Dunbao)
In addition, there is another angle that must be said:
The special thing about Davis is that, as the core of the team, he is a very powerful off-ball player.
Davis's assist rate throughout his career is 60%-70%, which means that he does not need to have the ball in his hands most of the time - but he is able to occupy a very high proportion without the ball in this situation. Achieve a scoring output at the level of a main attacker. (Average 25-30 points per game)
Let's use a popular metaphor to say that he is "eating grass and milking the cow" - he does not occupy much of the ball, but he can produce quite high production - this allows him to compete with those who hold the ball. The compatibility of external lines is very good, and it can easily produce the effect of 1+1 greater than 2.
This season, Davis' possession rate has dropped slightly compared to last season, currently at 26.1%, ranking 7th among all centers in the league, even lower than Adebayor and Jaren Jackson Jr.--However, Davis Si used the league's seventh round share to achieve the league's third-highest win shares. (Inside line)
This is what I call "grazing and milking" and "basic disk".
Team building mode
However, this extremely special talent also has its flip side - unlike "unparalleled" without the ball, when Davis has the ball in his hands, he is relatively mediocre as an inside core. (Relative to himself and other top insiders in history, of course).
As an inside core, Davis's career assist/round share rate has always been lower than the league average for the same position - this means that his ability to drive teammates is not strong, and it is difficult for him to use his offensive threats to benefit the whole team; At the same time, his ability to punish multiple opponents and shrink defenses will be relatively weak - this limits his offensive influence and prevents him from becoming a truly unique inside core like Jokic and Embiid.
's shortcomings in "coordination ability" also make his ability to digest the ball relatively limited - from the perspective of the game, Davis often looks "tired" - this is because he has been forcefully attacking the basket. As a result, Jokic, who has a higher usage rate, seems more "easy" on the court because he has a lot of high-position support.
In addition to attacking the inside, Davis’s other way of digesting the ball is in the mid-range. His career-long two-point percentage accounts for more than 90% of players at the same position, but his shooting rate is not very ideal, and he is only in the middle of the league. To a certain extent, this affects his "productivity" as the first offensive option:
When Davis rushes the frame, he is productive and efficient; and when Davis jumps from the outside, he becomes It has become low-yield and inefficient.
Another superstar on the same team, LeBron James, also has the same problem in terms of production efficiency-this is the fundamental reason why the Lakers cannot "reduce the load while maintaining offensive efficiency."
What also limits him is his offensive method - we mentioned above that Davis is a player with a high assist rate - it is certainly a good thing to be able to play without the ball, but the problem with Davis is that he insists on His offensive efficiency with the ball is not as high as without the ball:
He cannot continue to dribble in from the outside and hit the basket like Giannis;
His shooting with the ball is not as efficient as Embiid's, let alone Embiid's. He can also cause a lot of fouls without attacking the inside;
's strongest weapon for attacking with the ball is post-up singles, but his shortcomings in coordination limit his output. At the same time, he will be very tired and risk injury when facing some heavy inside players. Very high;
The "best way" for Davis to open up is to have a top pick-and-roll ball handler drive him, and then use his off-ball threat to form a 1+1>2 effect - otherwise, he will be on the court. It is easy to form two situations: "Davis is tired from playing" or "Davis becomes blue-collar".(This is also the reason why the Lakers have been looking for ball handlers after James ages)
At present, the Lakers' dilemma is that James and Davis have already occupied two of the top salary spots, and the remaining salary space still needs to be considered. The quality of Jigsaw’s role players – so it’s hard to find a pick-and-roll ballhandler of adequate caliber for Davis.
(Last year, the Lakers found Russell - just the right type, slightly lower level. But even so, the Lakers still reached the Western Conference Finals. After Russell's playing time was limited due to defense in the Western Conference Finals , Davis' offensive performance actually declined as a result)
It can only be said that it is a pity that Davis and James met a few years too late - if Davis is next to LeBron James who is 35 or even 30 years old now, Brown-James, they will become a historically dominant duo like OK.
(And now, James' pick-and-roll rate is no longer enough to drive Davis throughout the game, and he even has to eat up part of Davis' off-ball scenes - which damages their compatibility to a certain extent. On the contrary, look Look at their performance in 20 years, look at their performance when James' defense is full in the playoffs, look at James' pick-and-roll dominance in the fourth quarter of this season - imagine if they can play like this for a whole game, for a whole year ...)
However, now the Lakers still have a chance to turn things around.
1 and D'Angelo Russell's short-term success proved that Davis can improve the performance of pick-and-roll ball handlers - for example, he can upgrade a 3b-level pick-and-roll ball handler to a 3a or even 2c level - and At critical moments, a healthy James can still transform into a T1-level pick-and-roll ball handler. This allows them to maintain their playoff competitiveness at the conference finals level when healthy.
The Lakers had the right idea last season - it's just that Russell's defensive problems restricted his playing time, and the player also had some mental problems - but now they still have to upgrade on this basis. Opportunity.
2. LeBron’s contract is about to expire, but as long as there are no major injuries, his condition should not suddenly decline within a year-if next season, James can remain at the 15th place in the league. The level and appropriate salary reduction will allow the Lakers to leave more salary space to introduce a high-level pick-and-roll ball handler - the Lakers will have the opportunity to transform into a top team overnight.
All in all, although Anthony Davis is not the strongest offensive player in the league as the first offensive option, it is not difficult at all to build a team around him-because he may be the best "second offense" in the history of the league "Choice", and it is compatible with almost any first outside offensive point - and the NBA is the place where there is no shortage of pick-and-roll ball handlers and outside superstars.
Because of this, the Los Angeles Lakers signed a three-year, $186 million contract with Davis in the summer, with an average salary of $62 million.
As long as there is ad, the Lakers have hope.
