Los Angeles Lakers

With Anthony Davis rounding into form, how good can the Lakers be?

Updated Feb. 4, 2022 8:53 p.m. ET

The LA Clippers held on for a thrilling 111-110 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night. The loss marked the Lakers' fourth defeat in their last five games.

Clippers guard Reggie Jackson dealt the final blow to the Lakers' fourth-quarter comeback attempt. Jackson drove to his left, spun away from his defender and hit a clutch layup to give the Clippers the lead for good with 4.1 seconds left.

LeBron James' congratulatory tweet to Jackson after the game has garnered a lot of attention.

But there could be a silver lining in the Lakers' recent losing stretch — the return of Anthony Davis to being a dominant player.

After missing 17 games due to an MCL sprain, Davis has looked more agile and recharged since returning to the court. After scoring just eight points and grabbing two rebounds in his first game back against the Nets, Davis has averaged 29.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 1.5 steals in his last four games.

Against the Clippers, Davis posted 30 points, 17 rebounds, two blocks and two steals, playing a key role in leading a Lakers comeback that ultimately fell just short.

His recent play has been enough to convince Chris Broussard that the Lakers have a chance to turn a disappointing regular season into a potentially fruitful postseason, which he detailed on "First Things First."

"That puncher's chance comes down to two guys. LeBron James and Anthony Davis," Broussard said. "And [Anthony] Davis is starting to look like the AD in the bubble that helped them win the championship, and [who] early on in that Finals series with Miami was the front runner for the Finals MVP."

Chris Broussard: "This is the AD the Lakers need"

Despite the Los Angeles Lakers' loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, Chris Broussard is optimistic for the Lakers' playoff chances for one reason: Anthony Davis.

Davis' postseason run in 2020 was phenomenal, as he averaged 27.7 PPG and 9.7 RPG while shooting 57.1% from the field.

Broussard said the Lakers need this version of Davis to be able to make a final push for the playoffs, but Nick Wright sees more potential in the Lakers.

He believes a rejuvenated Davis paired with an ageless James could still be the recipe for a Lakers championship.

"I believe they absolutely can if AD stays at this level," Wright said. "I think the defense will be demonstrably better when LeBron comes back for the postseason, I think they will have shortened the rotation. And the West, nobody really scares me outside of Phoenix."

With a healthy James and a refocused Davis, the Lakers could be a nightmare matchup come the postseason. But since they're currently ninth in the Western Conference standings, they're going to have to work hard just to get there first.