Lakers Looking to Get Anthony Davis More Touches

The Lakers have a lot of problems, and not getting power forward Anthony Davis enough shots in the second half is one.

Davis attempted a meager two shots in the second half of their meltdown of a 114-110 home loss to the Cavaliers on Sunday.

“We have a playbook. We have a menu and a bunch of sets where AD can be featured,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “You have to just be organized.”

Davis is averaging 22.5 points and 11.1 rebounds in eight games this season. He is shooting 53 percent from the field. He really is the Lakers’ best chance to win these days.

“Obviously, it starts with AD and getting him more touches,” star forward LeBron James said, via McMenamin. “Our focal point is and always should be to make sure he touches the ball throughout the course of possessions, quarters, halves.”

Meanwhile, point guard Russell Westbrook said he too tries to make it a point to get Davis the ball. Westbrook has been coming off the bench, and while he has been better in that role, he played poorly in the second half vs. Cleveland. And it’s not like the Lakers (2-7) are winning any more.

“I don’t know whose primary job it is, to be honest,” Westbrook said of trying to get the ball to Davis. “I’ll leave it up to the coaches to figure out the best way for them to utilize him.

“When I’m in, I do the best job I can in making reads, try to make the game easier for him when I’m in.”

Ham added that Davis has the green light to demand the ball.

“He’s got my blessing to scream out, call his own number,” Ham said. “We tried to get him going, tried to get Bron going on some post actions and some step-ups and pick-and-roll stuff. It’s not like we’re not trying.

“And sometimes the game dictates things to go in another way. They go on a run and then we’re trying to play faster to try to possibly score more. So it’s a lot of different variables that go into that. It’s not like, ‘OK, you’re just not calling plays for AD.’ That’s not the case.”