There has never been any doubt about how talented Anthony Davis is, but his work and desire have seemed to come and go at times. But Darvin Ham, the Lakers’ head coach, is expecting big things from Davis this season. He has looked every bit the great the team needs him to be.

All of it has been done by the big guy in the preseason. He holds down both ends of the court. He has been aggressive on offense, ruling in the paint and showing off a better outside shot. Focused on defense, he has blocked and changed shots at the basket while also being the boss on that end.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks played on Sunday. Davis had 16 points, seven rebounds, five assists, two steals, and two blocks in 19 minutes. Once more, Davis looked great, and Ham thinks that the way the season ended gave the big man and the Lakers a spark.

I notice a level of attention that makes me want to join in. “After the game, Ham said, “He’s been amazing.” “Of course, some of the games he played last year and the stretches he had were just unbelievable.” He’s what makes our teamwork.

“No one likes to be eliminated, let alone swept, so us all losing at the same time really fired up our guys who came back.” The new guys we brought in even know what’s at stake. He is at the front of it all.”

It has been asked of Davis since he joined the Lakers that he takes over as team leader from LeBron James. LeBron thinks Davis is already the face of the team, and Ham has seen a different side of Davis this summer, so he isn’t surprised by how well he played in the preseason.

“He wants to be the guy who sets the tone on both sides of the ball,” Ham said. “He was more focused whenever I talked to him during the summer.” As the months of August, September, and now October training camps got closer, he just kept adding days.

“Getting stronger and better at his game.” Hard work is being put in to make sure that he is not only available but also available at a high level and able to carry a big load. It didn’t come as a surprise to me that he was playing this way last season.

Since the beginning of his career, Davis has had trouble being available. The Lakers star has worked hard this summer to be the best version of himself all season. Through the first few weeks of the preseason, he has looked like the Anthony Davis that Lakers fans have been hoping for.

Coach Darvin Ham of the Lakers defends Anthony Davis’s decision not to take the NBA GM poll.

In the playoffs and near the end of last season, Davis showed everyone that he is one of the best defenders in the NBA, if not the best. In a recent poll of NBA general managers, the Lakers big man did not do well at all when it came to naming the best defenders and interior defenders. But Ham supported his star after the poll came out.

The Lakers coach said, “They can say what they want, but I know he’s the heart and soul of our defense.” “He made it possible for our defense to be in the top three and even number one at times.” There’s a reason why polls and people’s opinions don’t really link names to votes after the deadline, but I don’t care about that. I know who he is and what he means to our baseball team. I also know who he is when we play the other 29 teams.

“We just keep working hard and keep our heads down. We’re in charge of our own plan.”