JJ Redick reveals why Anthony Davis is dominating for the Lakers

What a difference a year makes.

Last season, Anthony Davis was an All-NBA player but sometimes disappeared on offense. Game 6 against the Denver Nuggets is a prime example.

With the season on the line, AD played all 12 minutes in the fourth quarter, but only shot the ball once. The Lakers lost 108-106, ending their season.

With JJ Redick now in charge, fans can rest assured that there will never be a game where AD plays an entire quarter and only gets one shot at the basket.

The ball found AD last Friday against the Raptors and often. He shot 20 more times than any other Lakers and finished the night with 38 points and 11 rebounds.

Under this new offense, Davis is putting up MVP-caliber numbers: averaging 31.8 points, 12 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 2.0 blocks per game. He leads the Lakers in every single one of those categories and the entire NBA in points.

Redick further explained this offensive philosophy after the Lakers’ 131-125 victory over Toronto.

“It’s funny,” Redick said. “Tonight we ran a few things for him, but it wasn’t like we introduced him. It’s a testament to how we envisioned our offense. The ball will find our best players. We can certainly place guys in certain positions within our alignment and system to take advantage of their abilities. But the ball will find AD if we play the way we want to play, and then we’re always looking for ways to present it with a set call.”

One of the first things Redick mentioned this offseason was using AD as a hub for everything they do offensively, and after six games, his words and the team’s actions are consistent.

The defensive numbers and rebounds are similar to his averages as a Laker, but the scoring is at a level he has never reached.

His best offensive year in LA was the 2019-20 championship season, when he averaged 26.1 points per game. He averaged 24.7 points in Darvin Ham’s offense last season.

The fact that he posted a nearly seven-point increase over last year with no change in his playing time is a testament to Redick’s offense and the Lakers’ ability to execute it. They feed AD, he’s fine and the Lakers win.

Two weeks into the season, the sample size is too small to declare this the new standard for Davis. However, if he repeats that production in November, we’re looking at a career year and a legitimate MVP candidacy.

That should increase this team’s ceiling and put them in the top tier of the Western Conference. So let’s hope this is the new normal for the great Lakers.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.