Lakers Training Camp Day Two: AD’s wrist injury in January

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MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE – DECEMBER 09: Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers warms up before the game against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum on December 09, 2021 in Memphis, Tennessee. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that , by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)

The Los Angeles Lakers continued their training camp on Wednesday after their first practice as a team came on Tuesday.

Yesterday, Westbrook talked about how nice it was to have a “new coach’s energy” (hilarious) while additional info was revealed on how Darvin Ham would be orchestrating his practices, headlined by the fact that they will always have blue tape on the court shaping boxes that will influence their spacing principles. You can read about all that and more in our recap of training camp’s day one here.

With that being said, onto today’s news out of the 2022-23 Lakers’ training camp:

Anthony Davis: Wrist injury impacted his shooting last season

The most notable quote coming after Wednesday’s practice was that Anthony Davis noted that a wrist injury suffered in January impacted his shooting. AD made only 18.6% of his 3-point attempts during last year’s campaign, the lowest mark of his career since he started regularly eclipsing one 3-point attempt per game in his fourth season.

Digging into the numbers, I wish this admission could carry some value, showing that AD did shoot better before January. However, that’s just not the case, evidenced below:

Either way, he says it’s a thing of the past now and that his shooting will hopefully improve this upcoming season.

Anthony Davis also reiterated talking points he laid out during Monday’s media day, specifically that his number one goal this season (as is LeBron’s) is to be healthy for as many games as physically possible.

Patrick Beverley is a fool in the best way

I think we’re in for a long season of hilarious and puzzing quotes from the man, the myth, the legend… Patrick Beverley. After Wednesday’s practice, Beverley talked about the good vibes in camp so far… in fact… he said camp has been “a vibe” in and of itself (Yes, I know I sound old).

Beverley did get to discuss the actual on-court product we will be seeing once Monday’s preseason opener is underway, as he said the following to Lakers reporter Mike Trudell.

On the surface, this statement reads as it’s coming from a guy not willing to do the hard work needed to be a successful role player around LeBron James. In fact, just imagine if Russell Westbrook said this.

But since it’s coming from Beverley, it’s definitely something fans should brush off as not being too serious.

And if we are going to be serious about it, Beverley might have a point. Although last season’s 34.3% 3-point shooting clip was Beverley’s lowest since he entered the league, he shot 38% or higher in the six seasons preceding last year’s campaign. With that resume, he may have been considered the best 3-point shooter on the team last season not named LeBron James or Malik Monk (he also might still have that claim for this year’s team).

Either way, I don’t think we have to worry about Beverley making a cut if it’s there for the taking.

Darvin Ham talking about Lakers pick-and-roll defensive scheme

Lastly, Darvin Ham provided some information on how the team will play defense against pick-and-rolls.

Now, don’t start getting all excited that Ham is deploying some new scheme that previous head coach Frank Vogel did not deploy himself. The “Center field” coverage he discusses represents a simple drop coverage, the same defensive scheme that Vogel used for nearly all of last season.

Of course, this year’s defense could still be way better than last year’s even if they play a very similar style. That’s mostly due to the increased athleticism that the Lakers have on their young roster when compared to last year’s team of geriatrics.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s recap of the Lakers’ third day of training camp. The first preseason game is in FIVE DAYS!

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