Lakers big Anthony Davis is thriving under rookie head coach JJ Redick. He has scored 30+ points in each game during the Lakers’ three-game winning streak to open the season. AD’s early season performances have also made a huge impression on LA Lakers legend Magic Johnson who had a blast on Saturday.
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Magic took to X and congratulated the Dodgers for taking a 2-0 lead in the World Series, and the Lakers for their three-game winning streak. He also gave his flowers to LeBron James for his 142th career triple-double. Meanwhile, he commended AD for building on his MVP case. Johnson wrote,
“My Dodgers and Lakers gave me another great night with their two victories! LeBron James put on a show tonight finishing with a triple double – 32 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists with 16 points in the fourth quarter alone! And AD continued his MVP start to the season with his 31 point performance in the Lakers win over the Kings!”
My Dodgers and Lakers gave me another great night with their two victories! LeBron James put on a show tonight finishing with a triple double – 32 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists with 16 points in the fourth quarter alone! And AD continued his MVP start to the season with his…
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) October 27, 2024
Davis was on fire against the Kings as he put up 31 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks in the four-point win. He shot an impressive 10/15 from the field while knocking down 10 out of 13 attempts from the free-throw line.
While he made only one triple throughout the game, it was the biggest shot for the Lakers, extending their lead to five points with about 37 seconds to go.
Davis has been doing an exhilarating job thus far on both ends of the floor. In the first three games, his averages are 34 points, 11 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.3 blocks, and 1.7 steals per game. AD became the first player since Kobe Bryant(2005-06 season) to put up back-to-back 30 points or more performances to open the season.
The most impressive part about his offensive output has been his excellent field goal percentage of 57.1% on such a high scoring. As usual, Davis has also done a lot of work in the paint, as indicated by his 15 attempted free throws per game. What’s best for the Lakers has been that his early outings have all resulted in wins.
His two-way domination has been key in dusting off playoff-level teams like the Timberwolves, Suns, and Kings. He also got the monkey off his back by breaking his 10-game losing streak against Domantas Sabonis and winning against him for the first time in his career.
The Lakers will need Anthony Davis to remain injury-free to compete against the elite big men in this league. Without Davis, the Lakers will have most likely lost two of their three games thus far. Thus, Johnson is spot-on about Davis bringing an MVP-level impact to his squad.
