Anthony Davis has been the subject of significant criticism from Los Angeles Lakers fans over the last couple of years, and one of the bones of contention for him has been his 3-point shooting.
When the Lakers won the NBA championship during the 2019-20 season, Davis shot very well from downtown, not just in the bubble but throughout the second half of the schedule.
Since then, his 3-point shooting accuracy has plunged. He made just 26% of such shots in the 2020-21 season, and that figure decreased to 18.6% last year.
Davis’ volume of attempts from beyond the arc has also fallen from 3.5 a game in the championship season to 2.8 the following year and 1.8 last season.
The superstar big man blames a wrist injury that he and the team apparently didn’t disclose.
Via ESPN:
“A lot of people don’t know this, but since January I was battling a wrist injury the whole year,” Davis said. “So it was affecting my shot and everything. That’s not an excuse but it was tough for me to shoot how I wanted to shoot. I couldn’t really follow through.”
For all the criticism Davis gets for being injury-prone, he has shown a definite willingness to play through pain and even injury.
Early last season, he played through an injury to the thumb on his shooting hand, as well as a stomach bug that afflicted him during a road game against the Portland Trail Blazers.
The best news about Davis is he says he’s fully healthy now.
“I’m 100% healthy,” Davis said. “I feel great. You can ask guys around here, I’m really shooting the ball. So, I’ll be ready. Wherever coach puts me on the floor, midrange, post, perimeter, if I’ve got a shot, I’m going to shoot it.”