Even the Los Angeles Lakers' biggest haters were impressed with what they saw on Tuesday evening, as the team defeated the Phoenix Suns in impressive fashion in a game that saw LeBron James and son Bronny take the floor together and make NBA history in the process. The Lakers were led by Anthony Davis, who scored 36 points against the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert.

In fact, Davis' performance was so impressive on Tuesday that the rest of the NBA world was put on notice.

“As one scout shared after the game, Davis looks leaner and quicker this time around. His play sparked comparisons to the Pelicans-era version of AD, or the 2020 Lakers run in the Bubble when he helped lead them to the title,” reported Sam Amick of The Athletic.

After the game, Davis spoke on how the Lakers utilized his unique skillset under newly minted head coach JJ Redick.

“Yeah, I mean playing through me at the elbows, the post, the top of the key, I think this is what we envisioned, just making plays out of (those spots) and kind of directing the offense,” Davis said. “And the same thing defensively. Obviously, it’s going to grow and we’re going to integrate more things within that. But I think it’s a good first step of seeing how (Redick) wants me to play and how he wants me to be that hub and to orchestrate the offense, in a sense.”

Can the Lakers compete this year?

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If Anthony Davis can perform at the level he did on Tuesday over the course of an 82-game season, there's no reason to think they can't.

Davis was the best version of himself against the Timberwolves, dominating around the basket on both ends of the floor and even stepping out to the three point line to stretch the defense.

Making matters even more impressive for the Lakers was the fact that LeBron James shot poorly from the field, and the team overall was abysmal from beyond the three-point line–and they still had no problem handling the Western Conference runner ups from a season ago.

In any case, the Lakers will now have another day off before hitting the Crypto.com Arena hardwood once again on Friday night at home vs the Phoenix Suns. That game is slated to tip off at 10:00 PM ET and will be carried nationally by ESPN.