Despite picking up a victory over the Milwaukee Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo on Thursday, Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis wasn't too happy with his performance.
Per Kyle Goon of the Southern California News Group, Davis claims he “sucks” after a subpar performance for the Lakers (based on his standards) in their 113-106 win over the Bucks. Davis chipped in 18 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. He was 8-of-18 from the field, 0-of-1 from deep, and 2-of-5 from the free-throw line.
Anthony Davis says he puts a lot of pressure on himself and "I think I suck right now." But he thinks his aggressiveness in the paint was crucial to collapsing the defense, and he had three key assists in a row late in the fourth. He hopes staying aggressive will help his funk.
— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) January 22, 2021
Davis and the Lakers squad seem to have set sky-high standards this year. Their offseason haul was a clear signal that they will defend their title at all costs.
And this admission by Davis, despite what seems to be a great performance by them, reveals that the Lakers are their own worst critics. Winning against a strong team like the Bucks is good. But the goal is to exceed the gold standard they've set for themselves.
The same sentiments were echoed by Lakers head coach Frank Vogel. Yes, it's a big win over one of the best teams in the league. But Vogel wasn't too impressed with how the Lakers played.
Frank Vogel: “We have to play better. We didn’t play our best basketball tonight.”
They made up for it in Milwaukee with their shooting, and defensive rebounding, he added. Better to say that after a win, of course.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) January 22, 2021
Perhaps it's due to the Lakers' fourth-quarter performance. They were able to mount a comfortable double-digit lead for most of the quarter. But then, the Bucks slowly and surely trimmed it to as low as a two-point deficit. Perhaps Vogel knows that no lead is safe in the NBA, especially against an elite team like the Bucks.
The Lakers want to win. And they want to do it in a convincing fashion.
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