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Things did not exactly go according to plan for Anthony Davis in his much-awaited Los Angeles Lakers debut. The six-time All-Star did put up a pretty decent stat line, but in the end, it was the Los Angeles Clippers who still powered through to the victory, 112-102.
In what was the first meeting in this new era of this rivalry, the Clippers proved to be too strong against a new-look Lakers side, who appeared to be pretty disoriented at times. The same can be said about Davis himself, who seems to require a bit more time before he gets fully acclimatized with his new team's system.
In 37 minutes of action, Davis posted a 25-point, 10-rebound double-double, along with five assists, a steal, and two blocks. Those are actually pretty good numbers right there, but we have to remember that this is Anthony Davis we're talking about here. This is a pretty tame line by his high standards, and the fact that he shot 8-of-21 from the floor (including 0-of-2 from distance), as well as 9-of-14 from the line proves that this was indeed an off night for the superstar big man. He also managed just seven points on 3-of-10 shooting in an ugly second half.
Davis struggled with his jumper all night long (2-of-13 on all shots away from the rim, including an airball), as he certainly exhibited some rust after bouncing in and out of the lineup for the New Orleans Pelicans at the tail end of last season. The three-time All-NBA member was also noticeably taking on a lot of isolation plays in the post as the Lakers tried to take advantage of the size advantage down low, but the results were a mixed bag.
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We will also need to give a lot of credit to the Clippers, who were still able to put up a very formidable side against Davis and the Lakers, even without Paul George. Their relentless defense arguably stood out the most, with guys like Patrick Beverley (two points, 10 rebounds, six assists, and a block) and reigning finals MVP Kawhi Leonard (30 points, six rebounds, five assists, two steals, and a block) setting the tone on that end for the Clippers, while reserves like Maurice Harkless and JaMychal Green also battled.
It is also worth noting that LeBron James struggled with his shot all night long, with the three-time NBA champ going 7-of-19 overall (1-of-5 from distance) en route to an 18-point, nine-rebound, eight-assist performance. Similarly, a feisty Clippers defense did a tremendous job holding down one of the best offensive players in the game today.
It was not a disastrous debut for Davis, but it is also not the tremendous start Lakers fans were hoping for from their prized trade acquisition. To be fair, we will need to cut Davis a bit of slack here, as he was actually going against one of the best defenses in the entire NBA. We all know his caliber, and once he gets his wind under him, he will surely be able to get back to his usually dominant self.
This may have been a “C+” night for AD, but you can fully expect him to start posting “A” numbers once again sooner rather than later.
