Anthony Davis was dissatisfied with Darvin Ham’s defensive plans for the Kings versus. Lakers game.
In their most recent game, the Lakers were defeated 120-130 by the Sacramento Kings, dropping them to the Western Conference’s No. 10 seed. Malik Monk and De’Aaron Fox scored 70 points together in the game, and Anthony Davis was dissatisfied with how Darvin Ham prepared the team’s defense for that battle.
“Some of the defensive situations we were in allowed De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk to do whatever they wanted, even live in the paint. If I go help, Sabonis is wide open, so they did an excellent job of influencing what we were doing.”
Darvin Ham addressed the Lakers’ defensive plan for Fox and Monk after the game, and the unimpressive tactic was made public.
“We devised a scheme to force him to use his right hand while forcing Malik to use his left. We didn’t do a good job of it in real-life game play. They’re tough, both of those players, because they make shots that you’re trying to avoid, like those tough twos. When we forced a miss, Sabonis was allowed to participate.”
This is an interesting answer from AD: "Some of the things we were in defensively… allowed De'Aaron Fox, Malik Monk to get whatever they want." (via @SpectrumSN) pic.twitter.com/C2OOfU8r9f
— Anthony F. Irwin (@AnthonyIrwinLA) March 7, 2024
Anthony Davis struggled against Sacramento, scoring just 14 points and being outrebounded 11 to 20 by Domantas Sabonis.
Credit to him for preventing Sabonis from having a big scoring night, but it came at the expense of Fox and Monk destroying the Lakers on the perimeter and finding easy opportunities to approach the basket.
Anthony Davis Is The Key For The Lakers Success
AD’s health and performance were key factors in the Lakers’ remarkable second-half run last season. Even though his offense can be uneven at times, his defensive influence is undeniable. Davis alone carries the Lakers’ defense.
With speedy guards and a tough cover like Sabonis on AD, the Kings were able to take advantage of the roster’s lack of defensive skill.
Even LeBron James discussed this after the game, noting AD’s foul trouble as the tipping point where the team’s defense failed.
“It vanished as AD picked up his second. It is that simple. If you have someone like that who controls so much of our defense, when he got his second in the first quarter and we had to make the substitution, our defense kind of fluttered after that.”
The Lakers wasted an early 17-point lead, but the Kings quickly reacted near the end of the first quarter of their game. From there, they took control of the game, outscoring the Lakers by 24 points in the second quarter. Davis was not put in a position to succeed defensively, especially given the team’s boring game plan to stop Fox and Monk.
They cannot afford such tactical errors in the future, especially with a difficult matchup against the Bucks tonight.
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