Lakers coach Darvin Ham has surprising request for Anthony Davis this season

Los Angeles Lakers coach Darvin Ham has a surprising request for Anthony Davis this season. 

Coming off a trip to the Western Conference Finals, the Los Angeles Lakers are hoping that they can build off the success from last season. However, considering how much some of the other Western Conference contenders improved during the offseason, that won’t be an easy task to accomplish.

Nevertheless, as long as Anthony Davis and LeBron James are healthy, the Lakers will have a puncher’s chance.

Heading into the start of the season, Lakers head coach Darvin Ham has a surprising requestion for AD, who will be the team’s priority offensive player this season.

Ham wants AD to be a bit of a different player this season. Ham has made it known to AD that he wants him to embrace his 3-point shot. Specifically, Ham wants AD to shoot six 3’s per game this season.

Ham wants to add another consistent layer to AD’s offensive repertoire with the threat of the 3-point shot. AD has proven in the past that he can be a consistent 3-point shooter but over the past two seasons, the 3-point shot has become less and less of a threat.

During the 2020-21 season, AD shot just 28 percent on 2.8 attempts per game. In 2021-22, AD shot 19 percent on 1.8 attempts per game and this past season, AD shot 26 percent on just 1.3 attempts per game.

It seems that AD has relied less and less on his 3-point shot over the last few seasons, and the statistics show that.

During the three previous seasons (2017-20) before this most recent sample size, AD shot at least 33 percent from deep with the New Orleans Pelicans and Lakers. He wasn’t shooting six 3’s per game but he was clearly more comfortable with his 3-point shot then than he appears to be now.

Darvin Ham is trying to inject Anthony Davis with more confidence

At the core of these comments, I don’t believe this is merely about shooting six 3’s per game. I firmly believe this is about getting AD to be confident in every part of his offensive game. And if Ham is giving AD the green light on every offensive front, maybe it will loosen him up a bit as he’s going to have to continue to embrace the role as the team’s No. 1 option on the offensive end of the floor.

A confident AD is exactly what the Lakers are going to need this season if they’re going to replicate some of their postseason success from last year. When the Lakers were at their best, AD was the best player on the floor.

Deep down, I believe that’s what Ham is poking at here. Does he want AD to truly take six 3’s per game? Maybe. But more than anything, he probably just wants him to be more aggressive and completely confident in his abilities.