Anthony Davis makes up excuse after being shut down in second half of season opener

Just a couple of weeks ago, Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis talked about how much he was looking forward to facing the Denver Nuggets again. He said that he and LeBron James had some extra motivation and unfinished business against them, and for a second, it truly seemed that way.

Davis hit the ground running and scored 17 first-half points before completely disappearing in the second half. He went scoreless and only took six shots in the final two quarters of the game, infuriating the fans for another subpar performance vs. a good team.

These issues date back to last season, in which some NBA fans even started calling him ‘Alternate Days.’ It’s a tale of two stories with him, and it seems like he cannot get back on track once the rival messes up with his rhythm.

When asked about what happened in the second half, Davis admitted that he wasn’t aggressive enough and stopped shooting, adding that the Nuggets’ adjustment of crowding the paint made life difficult for him in the restricted area.

Anthony Davis Blames Double-Teams For Second Half Blunder

“They started double-teaming, trying to crowd the paint,” Davis said postgame. “I missed some easy layups around the rim, little jumpers. But I was trying to make the right play, kick it out to our guys when they double. Rui (Hachimura) hit an open three, Gabe (Vincent) had open threes, they just didn’t fall. But I have to shoot it more.”

Coach Darvin Ham still had his player’s back, praising him for keeping them close in the first half. Even so, he wants him to be way more aggressive as a scorer, which was a point of emphasis throughout the course of the entire offseason:

“Just trying to move him around and attack and play downhill. (He) had some unfortunate misses. (He) had it going there for a while, kept us close.” Ham said, “But just want him to be all-out aggressive whether it’s pick and roll, him catching the ball in trail position, him direct post-up. Just want him to be aggressive. We’ll go back and look at the film and see if there’s anything we like and then go from there.”

Lakers Need Davis

No one can deny that Anthony Davis is one of the best and most impactful players in the NBA. He can put up 30 points and 15 rebounds while also playing lockdown defense, both on the perimeter and below the rim. But he needs to bring that fire night in and night out.

Coach Ham confirmed that LeBron James will be under a minute restriction for the remainder of the season. That leaves Davis as the de facto go-to guy more often than not, so he cannot afford to stop shooting or being aggressive, regardless of how he’s guarded.

Davis is borderline unstoppable when he’s at his best, and the Lakers’ entire offensive game plan will be focused on him. LeBron is 39 years old and might not be physically able to lead the team, so it’s time for Davis to show why the Lakers gave him such a big contract extension this offseason.