Anthony Davis, a star player for the Los Angeles Lakers, is having some of the best basketball of his career in many ways.

He is leading L.A.’s defence, as shown by games like Saturday night’s against the New York Knicks. On the other hand, he is also working on some new attacking tools, such as better playmaking from the post. Davis has had two triple-doubles and several games with a lot of assists in the last month.

The year 2024 has now passed, and Davis has had six or more assists six times. Before January 1, he did that just three times. Last season, he did it just four times in 54 games. He has only had ten or more assists twice in the last month, during his two triple-doubles.

Davis has long needed to get better at making plays out of the post when he is double-teamed. Even after teaming up with LeBron James, he had trouble making plays with his back to the basket. That being said, these changes have made a huge difference in how well the Lakers can run their offence.

As seen on Spectrum SportsNet, Davis talked about why he made those changes and how he thinks they’ve made the Lakers a better team:

“I have to play make out of the post because I know they’ll double-team me a lot.” The guys are cutting and playing well without the ball, and I just need to make those plays. Not only do I get a lot of good things when the ball goes in the post, but so do Bron and sometimes DLo, and Rui. It’s my job to make the right reads when guys double-team, which is usually just Bron and me. The other guys’ job is to make the shots. You just have to read the defence and make the right plays. If they don’t double, that’s when I try to score.

Before joining the Lakers, the star player learned one important thing that helped him become a much better playmaker:

“I only need to know one thing: from where they’re doubling.” Each team has a certain way they like to double, whether it’s on the catch, the move, the feed, or the come-up on the sideline. I make my reads based on where everyone is going to be once I know that.

Davis’s first triple-double did mark a turning point for the Lakers’ offence. The Lakers’ offensive rating was 112.0 from the first game of the season until the game before his first triple-double on January 13. That was the 23rd-best rating in the NBA. That number has been 118.3 since January 13, when he had his first triple-double. It puts him 10th in the league.

It’s safe to say that Davis’s versatility as an attacking threat is directly linked to how well the team does on that end of the court.