A lot of things about Anthony Davis’s game right now make it the best of his career as a basketball player.

Games like Saturday night’s against the New York Knicks show that he is in charge of L.A.’s security. But he is also working on some new ways to attack, like being able to make better passes from the post. In the last month, Davis has had two triple-doubles and a number of games with a lot of assists.

It’s now 2024, and Davis has had six or more assists six times. He only did that three times before January 1. In 54 games last year, he only did it four times. The only times in the last month he had ten or more helpers were when he had a triple-double.

Davis needs to get better at making plays when he is double-teamed in the post for a long time now. He still had trouble making plays with his back to the basket even after he teamed up with LeBron James. Still, these changes have made a big difference in how well the Lakers can run their attack.

The following is what Davis said about why he made those moves and how he thinks they’ve made the Lakers a better team:

“They’ll double-team me a lot, so I have to play make out of the post.” The guys can cut and play well without the ball; all I have to do is make those plays. When the ball goes into the post, I get a lot of good things, but so does Bron, DLo, and sometimes Rui. It’s my job to make the right reads when two guys team up, which is when Bron and I do it most of the time. The other guys are in charge of making the hits. You just need to know how the defence is set up and play the right way. I try to score if they don’t double.

When the star player was still with the Suns, he learned something important that made him a better playmaker:

“Tell me only one thing: where they’re doubling from.” Each team likes to double in a certain way, whether it’s on the come-up, the move, the catch, or the pass. Once I know where everyone is going to be, I make my reads.

Davis’s first triple-double did change the way the Lakers’ attack played. From the first game of the season until the game before his first triple-double on January 13, the Lakers had a scoring rating of 112.0. That score was the 23rd best in the NBA. Since January 13, when he had his first triple-double, that number has been 118.3. He’s now 10th in the league.

This is a clear link between Davis’s ability to attack in different ways and how well the team does on that end of the court.