“AD is Dominant”: LeBron James Clears the Air Around Lakers Forward Being Under Pressure

The sharpest weapon in the artillery of Anthony Davis is his defense. He is the top contender to win the prestigious Defensive Player of the Year 2020 award. One reason the Los Angeles Lakers are so good at their defense. But the regular season has immensely pressured the power forward. 

LeBron James has now come to AD’s rescue by detailing the fact that there’s no such thing as added pressure on his teammate. This power duo is all that the Lakers have got to hold their contention for the NBA title. So it must soothe the Lakers fans to see how they hold each other’s back.

LeBron James covering for Anthony Davis

LeBron James showed up in the pregame interview where he was asked questions around the pressure that has clouded Anthony Davis. He looked very calm and even indulged in a little chit-chat before answering, “Everybody wanted AD just to be, ummm AD’s job is just to be AD. There’s no extra pressure, just be AD. He does everything, he handles the ball for us, he posts up, he’s on the perimeter, he’s defensive player of the year. There’s nothing to even, there’s no added pressure on AD. I mean AD is dominant, he steps on the floor before they even start in the stats. So, I think he’s looking for an opportunity being back in the postseason again as well as his teammates.”

This pretty much sums it up for Anthony Davis. The Akron Hammer specified his varied job roles as a senior in the team and explained why there’s no reason to feel ‘extra’ pressurized. 

Where is AD lagging for the Lakers

He has largely struggled with his shooting from down the line. His career average is 31.9% which is low for a man of his talent and skills. Also, AD has shown inconsistency in his contribution in the bubble where he began with a couple of stupendous performances but slowed down as the season matured.

In the regular season, he is holding an average of 26.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 3.2 assists. And in the 13 playoff games that he has played in his career, his average has been 30+ points per game. So we can assume his pressure-handling is good. He is good at the mid-range shooting and quite dominant from the paint, but he has got work to do on his long attempts. We have seen how whenever he struggled, the team struggled too. Now that they’re to face a decent challenge from the Portland Trail Blazers in the NBA Playoffs 2020, time is for him to rise and show he can play under pressure.