Big Man Anthony Davis Sends Message About Lakers Performance Without LeBron James

The Los Angeles Lakers looked good early in the season, but they seem to be dealing with unexpected issues. LeBron James didn’t join his Lakers teammates in the most recent game and Anthony Davis was really honest about his absence.

The Lakers suffered a 132-127 loss to the Utah Jazz and Davis admitted that he didn’t play his best basketball that night.

“Everyone did their job except me. I didn’t do my job,” Davis told reporters in the locker room. “Obviously, Bron’s out. Everyone have to step up, and those guys did – except myself. So this one’s on me.”

AD scored 15 points, 15 rebounds, 11 assists, four blocks, and a steal in the loss. He didn’t shoot enough, obviously.

A perfect putback by AD! pic.twitter.com/BhrvNROSV9

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) January 14, 2024

Davis praised Lakers teammates in the absence of LeBron

D’Angelo Russell replaced LeBron on the floor.

“He played well,” Davis said of Russell’s performance. “Whether it’s starting or coming off the bench, he remains professional, and it showed tonight. He got us going early on and throughout the course of the game. That was good for him, it was good for our team. Not sure what happens next game [with lineup]. But I know he’ll be ready to come in and get that same type of effort.”

DLo gets us started ✔️ pic.twitter.com/voksLLbZWj

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 14, 2024

Russell had a new role with the Lakers and he looked good on the floor. He finished the game with 39 points, three rebounds, two blocks, and a steal. Eleven of these points happened in the fourth quarter of the night.

DLo gets us started ✔️ pic.twitter.com/voksLLbZWj

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 14, 2024

“It was just fun just hooping; as simple as that,” Russell said during his availability in the locker room. “They got some coverages that tried to take AD out the game, allowed us to play off the catch and attack closeouts all game. … I thought we had a lot of great looks. Just try to take this aggression, add it to the next game.”

Lakers players really need to elevate their game to start winning games.