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Anthony Davis is one of the best players in the league. His contributions to the Lakers have fallen by the wayside due to the influence of LeBron James. However, the team wouldn’t have confirmed their first seed in the West without AD. LeBron is running the show, but there needs to be a headliner to deliver the goods. Anthony Davis has blossomed into this role as the 1-B to LeBron James’s 1-A.

After a bad night against the Toronto Raptors, Davis roared back into form against Utah Jazz. He dropped 42 points with 12 rebounds on Utah Jazz. What was more impressive was that AD did this on reigning two-time Defensive Player of the Year, Rudy Gobert. Gobert is in the race for the award this season as well, but behind Giannis Antetokounmpo and AD himself.

Davis has stayed humble after his dominating performance on Gobert and Utah. Lakers’ beat reporter Harrison Faigen tweeted out what AD had to say about his matchup with Rudy Gobert.

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Anthony Davis leading the Lakers instead of LeBron?

The question of who the leader of the Lakers is has been asked a lot. LeBron hasn’t performed up to his own lofty standards in the bubble. He closed out the Clippers game with a strong showing but wasn’t at his best for the first three quarters. He held his own against the Raptors, but couldn’t lead them to a win with AD underperforming. Against Jazz, LeBron just let AD take the keys and run with it. James took 12 fewer shots than AD in the game.

Davis scored 42 points with 12 rebounds and 4 assists. He had 3 steals and a block to go along with that. His shooting efficiency was under 50%, but he made 12 out of 15 free throws (80%). The former Pelicans star has been looked at by many as the Lakers X-Factor. While LeBron runs the offense, teams will have a hard time finding the correct matchup for Davis. Davis showed how dynamic he is despite being almost 7 feet tall against Utah.

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The only issue with AD is that he struggles to create shots for himself. He is one of the smoothest finishers in the league, but can’t excel until he has a point guard setting him up for success. Lucky for him that LeBron James decided to play that position and average almost 11 assists this season.

SOURCE: NBA, Harrison Faigen Twitter