Anthony Davis is back, the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Bucks and saw the light

Something could have really clicked Los Angeles Lakers🇧🇷 The team has technically assembled itself amid a thousand doubts since last year – with the bloody Westbrook trade and the many signings of dysfunctional and practically at the end of their careers – and turned upside down in the summer with many new technical orientations, given the appointment as head coach to former Milwaukee Bucks assistant and NBA rookie Darvin Ham, he is having an exciting time with 7 wins in the last 10 games.

In particular, it’s the night’s success that is particularly significant, coming against the Milwaukee Bucks of phenomenon Giannis Antetokounmpo, all the more fearsome for the occasion given the return of Khris Middleton. A victory against an opponent who suddenly seems to bring a modicum of optimism back into the yellow-purple houseafter a disastrous start and a reversal of the negative trend that also arrived thanks to a benevolent calendar that in fact greatly reduced the successes of recent weeks, since between the San Antonio Spurs in 10 consecutive defeats they faced 3 times, the Detroit Pistons in the slums of Eastern Conference Dame Lillard-less Trail Blazers and the Brooklyn Nets with an overhauled roster and Nic Claxton injured midway through the game, the opponents encountered along the way proved anything but irresistible.

And while the crashes against the Phoenix Suns and especially the Indiana Pacers (on the siren) brought even the most optimistic of fans back to their feet, the 133-129 at home of The Greek Freak and associates must necessarily impose some reflection on the improvements of this team🇧🇷

A team that, with a series of tricks sought after by the coaching staff – see Russell Westbrook’s demotion to sixth man luxury to share its minutes with James’s – and others imposed by fortuitous circumstances, such as LeBron James’ own physical injury and Patrick Beverley’s disqualification after the Suns game, today looks decidedly much more square than the initial version and above all than last season.

with gods well defined followersabove all an ever more continuous Austin Reaves and a Lonnie Walker whose improvements from the bow have helped not a little in the search for the best spacing, without forgetting the physicality of Gabriel and Bryant, but above all with the definitive explosion, or should we say re-explosion, of Anthony Davis🇧🇷 James’ enforced absence and Westbrook’s second-unit leader role has in fact allowed Monobrow to take the reins of the team’s play during some games, and facilitated by the irresistible level of defenses encountered as well as by a physical continuity rarely seen in the two last seasons, the number 3 played a series of dominant performances in both parts symptomatic of renewed confidence and a moment of psychological self-esteem at the highest level.

Davis finally ramped up the physical pace of his game, embracing the idea of ​​playing center more often than forward, fully embraced the role of rim protector and most importantly he’s back to hitting hard in the offensive midfield, putting back in his arsenal the aggression and pressure in the area that seemed to have been literally stolen from him last year when the Monstars stole the talent of NBA players in the famous film Space Jam.

The current Davis is indeed tremendously close to his all-time best basketball, given the context and certainly he is living the most positive moment since leaving NOLA and marrying the cause of the Lakers, resulting decisive for the 2020 ring, but never returned to the same levels. In the last 8 games, AD travels to 32.9 points, 15.4 rebounds, 2.9 blocks, with 63.0% from the field, 37.5% from threes and 86.7% from free throws: this is the best 8-game streak since California. A state of form to which, adding the James’ return from injury (20/40 of the back arc), with obvious minor offensive roles, and Russell Westbrook’s new life as an energizer from the bench (against Milwaukee 15 points, 7 rebounds and 11 assists), we get the current weight of these Lakers, who , with 87 points from the Big 3 (and 0 turnovers, an incredible fact) also managed to raise their voice against a Milwaukee as always driven by Giannis Antetokounmpowho with 40 points and spectacular plays on both sides of the field resisted until the final seconds, except capitulating at the most beautiful moment.

Perhaps the funniest challenge of the first 2 months of the NBA regular season came out, played until the end and with the most anticipated protagonists in top form. But most of all, the Los Angeles Lakers came out with new convictions, which now they can think more clearly about possible moves to do in the market not to waste Davis’ enthusiasm and performance.

The hypothesis of the exchange with the Indiana Pacers, with Russell Westbrook on the court of Rick Carlisle and the duo Buddy Hield-Myles Turner to make the opposite way, remains today the most functional and fascinating hypothesis to improve this squad, even if giving up. the revived Westbrook and probably one or two first picks in the future (2027 and 2029), but by the rumors of these hours there are many more hypotheses under consideration, both using the former Wizards as a pawn, in a possible trade with the Chicago Bulls and would also involve DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic, both leveraging different assets such as Patrick Beverley and Kendrick Nunn’s expiring contracts for now very negative, to reach role players without, however, affecting the chemistry born between the 3 stars of the team.

The only certainty is that ultra-positive momentum should not overstate the level of a list with huge gaps to be filled by resorting to the market: if the management acts intelligently and if Anthony Davis confirms himself in MVP levels for the rest of the season, the right pieces would make the Lakers still a contender🇧🇷 A hypothesis that, re-released a month ago, would have seemed like heresy.