10 gut reactions after the first weekend of the NBA Playoffs

The Los Angeles Lakers will go as far as Anthony Davis can take them

We know that when healthy, the Los Angeles Lakers are good and will have the potential to make some serious noise in the NBA Playoffs. However, taking it a bit further, I believe we can effectively say that the Lakers, in the playoffs, will go as far as Anthony Davis, specifically, can take them. LeBron James is the headlining name for the Lakers, and perhaps rightfully so, but AD is the player that’s going to determine how far this team can go.

In Game 1 against the Grizzlies, AD finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds, seven blocks, three assists, and three steals. Perhaps most importantly, he was a game-high +27. When he was on the floor for the Lakers, he was the biggest difference-maker on either team. And I imagine that will continue to be the case in this series.

The Lakers need the contributions that they’ve gotten from “the others” since the NBA Trade Deadline, but there’s one player that makes the team go-round. And right now, that’s Anthony Davis. If the Lakers are going to do unprecedented things in this year’s NBA Playoffs, it will be because of AD.