“He’s been my teammate for the last six years, so I’ve seen it every single day,” LeBron James stated while discussing the impact that Anthony Davis can have on the team. For more than half a decade, the renowned center has been to LeBron what Scottie Pippen was to Michael Jordan. Unfortunately, that image was anything but present during Wednesday night’s Heat-Lakers matchup. At one point, LeBron was even captured approaching his ‘Pippen’ and allegedly chewing his ear off. However, if one is to believe JJ Redick, then things weren’t as bad as they seemed.

During the post-game presser, the Lakers head coach was asked about the expectations he holds from LeBron and AD when it comes to leadership. Redick highlighted how, while sitting there, he wasn’t fully aware of how many points the NBA’s All-Time leading scorer had last night. This may be because he was busy observing the player’s leadership skills, as Redick stated, “He (LeBron) was very talkative with his teammates, he was encouraging them. I need him to uplift his teammates cause a lot of us, we’re going through it right now.”

The same not only applied to the younger players but the veterans too, including his second-in-command, which may have been what the confrontation was all about. “I think with AD, he’s not had the performances that he had to start the year off,” said the head coach. “And there’s a level of frustration and, he’ll get out of it, I have no doubt. He’ll get out of it.”

Anthony Davis arguably had his worst performance of the season in Miami, recording just 8 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists in 31 minutes. There was no lack of effort, but rather success. After all, the center went 3-14 (21.4%) from the field and 2-4 (50%) with his free throws. Interestingly, the 9x All-Star had scored just 9 points in his last visit to Miami, in November 2023. Maybe there’s something in the air at the Kaseya Center that he can’t perform well.

Davis’s performance made him the perfect scapegoat for the media to pin his team’s 2 consecutive loss. Channing Frye, who served as LeBron James’ teammate during the latter’s second Cavaliers stint, took a shot by stating, “This might be the worst effort I have ever seen in the last few years. This Lakers team quit before the game even started. In no world should (my guy) Kevin Love be able to guard AD or AD not go at him every time.”

However, no one in the Lakers squad was ready to throw Anthony Davis under the bus. Personal accountability became the norm, with JJ Redick taking the blame for the loss by stating, “There has to be some ownership on the court, and I’ll take all the ownership in the world.” Meanwhile, LeBron James said, “It’s not on the coaches. It’s definitely on us, for sure.” Us, and not just one player. However, even if LeBron or Redick did not call him out, the 31-year-old was willing to take responsibility.

Anthony Davis takes the blame for the Lakers’ recent losses: “It starts with me”

It was only a few days ago when Anthony Davis had scored 33 points to secure a close win against the Utah Jazz. Therefore, it certainly became noticeable when he followed the next two games by dropping 12 and 8 points, respectively. For Anthony Davis, his scoring has a bigger impact than simply adding to the overall total. Being a veteran, he stood out as an example of how the younger players should perform. Therefore, during the post-game presser, Davis was there to blame himself on the counts of both scoring less, and not being inspiring enough.

“I personally think it starts with me. If I play better, then guys will play better,” said Davis. At the same time, the Center urged his teammates to not get demotivated because of the losses. He did so by adding, “We can’t separate. We gotta stay together as a team, as a unit, and make sure that this doesn’t turn into something that we don’t want.”

The Lakers will take on the resurgent Atlanta Hawks next, a team against whom LA holds a 7-3 record over the last 10. There would be no better opportunity for Anthony Davis to help the Lakers break their losing streak than this one.