Anthony Davis Dominates in Team USA v. Canada, and are the Lakers Waiting on... Lauri Markkanen?

Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

Well, if Anthony Davis and LeBron James are going to play in the Olympics - scaring many Lakers fans in the process - they might as well look good.

And man alive, did Davis do just that on Wednesday in Vegas against Team Canada. 10 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, two steals and four blocks in only 19 minutes. That's some serious production. So while the nervousness is going to remain until Davis and James return from Paris unscathed (and even then, there will be concern about carryover effects), there is an opportunity for Davis to remind people just how good he is and maybe change some narrative in the process. Because there may not be an NBA star for whom the bar moves around more than AD. It's not that he's infallible. Davis has clunker games (often against specific opposing centers) that can and should be noted. But the guy was a second team All-NBA selection last season, while also landing on the first team All-Defense. That's a feat nobody else in the league managed to pull off.

A player who does that is an elite level performer, full stop.

And it seems like JJ Redick has a good understanding of how unique Davis is, talking about him not in specific roles or as a type, but as Anthony Davis, a singular player who can anchor a team on both ends of the ball. Hopefully Redick sees players for their individual strengths and weaknesses and adjusts their roles accordingly. If the Lakers are indeed going to (mostly) run it back, they need to do a better job maximizing the talents of each player and scheming away from shortcomings.

Can Redick do that?

Finally, the NBA is playing the waiting game, when it comes to more trades. And the key to it all could be in Salt Lake City.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky
SEGMENT 1: Davis dominates Canada.
SEGMENT 2: The opportunity in front of AD.
SEGMENT 3: The NBA waiting game.

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