What a difference a year makes.

Last season, Anthony Davis was an All-NBA player, but disappeared offensively at times. Game 6 against the Denver Nuggets is a good example.

With the season on the line, AD played all twelve minutes in the fourth quarter, but only shot the ball once. The Lakers lost 108-106, ending their season.

With JJ Redick in charge, fans can rest assured that there will never be a game where AD plays an entire quarter and only gets one attempt at the basket.

AD found the ball often against the Raptors last Friday. He took 20 more shots than any other Lakers and finished the night with 38 points and 11 rebounds.

Under this new offense, Davis is putting up MVP-caliber numbers, averaging 31.8 points, 12 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 2.0 blocks per game. He leads the Lakers in each of those categories and the entire NBA in points.

Redick further explained this offensive philosophy after the Lakers’ 131–125 win over Toronto.

“It’s funny,” Redick said. “Tonight we did a few things for him, but it wasn’t like we were putting the spotlight on him. It’s a testament to how we envisioned our offense. The ball is going to find our best players. We can certainly put guys in certain positions within our groupings and within our system to exploit their skills. But the ball will find AD if we play the way we want to play and then we always look for ways to give him a set call.”

One of the first things Redick mentioned this offseason was using AD as the hub for everything they do offensively, and six games later his words and the team’s actions are in sync.

The defensive numbers and rebounding are comparable to his averages as a Laker, but the point production is at a level he has never come close to.

His best offensive year in LA came during the 2019-2020 championship season, when he averaged 26.1 points per game. Last season he averaged 24.7 points in Darvin Ham’s offense.

The fact that he’s seeing a nearly seven-point increase over last year’s numbers while his playing time remains virtually unchanged is a testament to Redick’s offense and the Lakers’ ability to execute it. They nurture AD, he thrives and the Lakers win.

Two weeks into the season, the sample size is too small to call this the new standard for Davis. However, if he replicates this production in November, we’re looking at a career year and a legitimate MVP candidacy.

That should raise this team’s ceiling and put them near the top of the Western Conference, so let’s hope this is the new normal for the great Lakers.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.