While fans might be nervous about Anthony Davis’ play Darvin Ham and the Lakers have “all the faith in the world” in their star big.
After a perplexing scoreless second half on opening night, Anthony Davis responded with a 30-point 12 rebound performance, which helped catapult the Lakers to a come-from-behind victory against the Phoenix Suns at home. The win calmed the waters of fans who were upset with Davis’ play, especially given all the chatter from the Lakers organization regarding Davis taking another step forward as the face of the franchise.
Anthony Davis getting down the floor quickly and establishing post position early flipped the momentum in the 4th.
He has to be deliberate if he wants to be dominant. pic.twitter.com/IIgy9RZuZ4
— Vinay K. (@vkillem) October 27, 2023
While fans might fluctuate from game to game with their belief in Davis being the guy, Darvin Ham and the Lakers organization have made it clear they have all the confidence in the world in Davis.
“At the end of the day, if he hears the outside noise or not, he knows we have all the faith in the world in him and that’s not going to change,” Ham said. “We’re just going to keep encouraging him and pushing him to be great and he’s going to push himself to be great. It’s one of those things, it’s the first game of the season and I know all eyes were on that and different things were said in the summer, whatever. None of that really matters.”
What does matter is the Lakers have not just sung Davis’ praises. They rewarded him in the off-season with a 3-year contract extension, securing him as a Laker through 2028 and, theoretically, passed the LeBron James era.
“One of the top players in our league,” Ham said. “We’re going to put that hedge around him and love on him and make sure he understands how important he is to our group and encourage him to be aggressive and assertive.”
With his dominance as a big, NBA Top 75 selection and a title in hand as one of the team’s key contributors, Davis’ ticket to the Basketball Hall of Fame is all but secured. As ridiculous as it may sound, his legacy as a Laker is not. His impact, potential and story in Los Angeles is still being written. Will he be known more for what could have been versus what he was? Or will he eventually take the reins of this organization and lift another Larry O’Brien trophy as the guy a la Kobe Bryant? Fans and the Lakers organization alike will be rooting for the latter.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.