Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis knows it will be difficult, but he is not running away from the challenge of anchoring the team's defense in their Western Conference Finals series against the Denver Nuggets.
The Purple and Gold lost Game 1, with Nikola Jokic thriving and propelling the Nuggets to the 132-126 win. While Davis played well and ended with a 40-piece himself, his defense on Jokic was suspect as the Denver big man exploited it on his way to a triple-double of 34 points, 21 rebounds, and 14 assists.
On Wednesday following the Lakers' film session, Davis took accountability for their loss in the conference finals opener. He then emphasized that he's going to figure out how to best help the team defensively, whether it is going one-on-one with Jokic or roaming around while keeping an eye on all potential plays from Denver.
“That’s why they pay me the big bucks. I got to figure it out,” Davis shared, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
It remains to be seen what kind of adjustment Anthony Davis will actually make, though there's no doubt that he needs to do better defensively if the Lakers want to get one win on the road at the start of the series.
Many fans have been calling for Rui Hachimura to start so he can guard Jokic like he did in the second half of Game 1, during which the Lakers were able to make a comeback. While that could work, it is still important for Davis to take control of the defense and make life hard for the Nuggets from start to finish. After all, the Joker is not the only Denver player they have to be worried about.
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