Lakers Rumors: JJ Redick's Strategy to Improve Anthony Davis Revealed amid 3-0 Start

As good as Anthony Davis had been for the Los Angeles Lakers, first-year head coach JJ Redick thought some untapped potential remained in the nine-time All-Star, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst.

In the newest episode of his Hoop Collective podcast, Windhorst said Redick sought to be "more efficient" on offense and feature "more Anthony Davis."

"He thinks that there is more there for [Davis] to give, and I think everybody's agreed with that throughout his career," Windhorst said. "And then look at things that you do with style of play that can help you tighten the gaps and he's doing it with focusing on being more efficient with possessions."

AD is coming off another highly productive season, as he averaged 24.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.3 blocks and 1.2 steals per game, while shooting 55.6 percent from the field in 2023-24.

More than that, he stayed relatively healthy.

Durability has been an issue for Davis throughout his career, and his 76 regular-season games played represented a career high for the potential future Hall of Famer.

AD also appeared in all five of the Lakers' playoff games against the Nuggets, averaging 27.8 points, 15.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.6 blocks.

While Davis didn't miss a playoff game, he told reporters that during the Lakers' decisive Game 5 loss to Denver he "played through a stinger injury to his left shoulder that caused his left arm to go numb and hang from the socket."

Perhaps the biggest overarching question for the Lakers was this: Why would their fortunes meaningfully improve now when the one thing they needed to go right did last year, yet it didn't seem to matter?

Davis and LeBron James each logged 70-plus appearances and were close enough to their peak selves. That still couldn't secure Los Angeles a top-six spot in the Western Conference, and the team simply didn't measure up to Denver.

The Lakers' final outcome didn't bode well for their short-term future, and it was telling how even LeBron avoided setting any specific preseason expectations.

But with L.A. off to a 3-0 start and Davis thriving, maybe the solution was as straightforward as hiring a new coach.