Jay Williams heaps high praise on Darvin Ham for being able to unleash the best of Anthony Davis

Former NBA player Jay Williams praised Darvin Ham for being able to get the best out of LA Lakers big Anthony Davis.

Anthony Davis in a file photo. (Image credits: twitter)
By Godwin Matthew | Dec 7, 2022 | 3 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

Anthony Davis has certainly put the whole world on notice with his recent performances for the LA Lakers. After yet another poor start, the Purple and Gold seemed to be heading nowhere in the 2022-23 NBA season. However, in the past 10 games, Anthony Davis’ resurgence has helped them improve to a 10-12 record and given them a renewed hope of competing in the West.

In the last 10 appearances, AD has averaged 34.2 PPG, 15.4 RPG and 2.9 blocks per game. He has shot 63.3% from the field and looked like a dominant force in the paint for the Lakers. His exploits have helped him make his way into the MVP conversation. While on the “KJM show,” Jay Williams explained what led to AD’s sudden burst of form. He believes that Darvin Ham’s constant attempt of playing Davis has been a big success for the 29-year-old. Speaking more about the same, he said:

“AD’s killing it because AD’s playing at the five and he’s not settling for three’s and the majority of his shots are in the paint and there’s no settling. I give Darvin Ham a lot of credit actually for empowering AD to be that guy, Darvin Ham when he came over from Milwaukee he was a bigs coach. You hear what guys like Giannis and Lopez about the way that he communicated and the way that they listened to him and the way that he put them in situations to activate … you activate him at five, it creates mismatches and him at the five, you can’t guard that, with other traditional five’s.”

Anthony Davis has looked fearless in his approach and doing his best on both ends for the Lakers. With a lot more games still left, the team will need him to continue performing at a high level and if he does, things could look good again for the seventeen-time champs.

What has helped Anthony Davis the most in his run of brilliance ?

Anthony Davis is undoubtedly among the best bigs in the league. However, he is not someone who likes playing at the center. Known to have worked alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and other quality bigs, Darvin Ham knew he had to convince AD to play at the five when he came to LA. He did not shy away from bringing Russell Westbrook off the bench when it looked like the former MVP was yet again looking too poor to start the game. In a similar fashion, he convinced AD of playing as the center and it has been working well for the Purple and Gold.

Ham has reiterated several times that Anthony Davis is going to be key for the Lakers this season. Although he did take time, Ham has been able to play AD in a way that is most suitable for him. Aside from that, players in the team have also realised how talented the big is. They have been feeding him the ball and it seems to work every time as that is how impressive Davis has been this season.

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