Anthony Davis spilled out his desperation following the embarrassing defeat against the Clippers. Last night, the Lakers visited the Intuit Dome for the first time, taking on their arch-rivals. What started as an evenly poised game turned into a one-sided affair. LeBron James & Co. couldn’t stand a chance against the all-around Clips attack. Out of the lot, the team’s big man Ivica Zubac’s performance shined brightly and the Lakers’ big couldn’t deny it. Did the LakeShow make a costly mistake back in 2019?

Before answering that, let’s take a look at the Lakers’ long-unsolved problem. Remember when King James offered to reduce his salary with an ambition to rope in a veteran traditional center in the 2024 off-season? It’s still unrealized. Even though the team has Jaxson Hayes and Christian Koloko, they are still far from reducing the burden off Davis’ shoulders. Importantly, this delay in finding a big man has gotten the better of the superstar.

Anthony Davis, who started off the season with an MVP-caliber performance averaging close to 30 ppg, has struggled to contribute in recent times. Last night, taking on the Clippers, he had an underwhelming game, scoring 16 points (5-14 FG) and 10 rebounds. Meanwhile, Ivica Zubac, who stood opposite him, dropped 21 points, 19 rebounds, and 3 blocks. In short, the 7 ‘1 big man dominated the game. Speaking of Zubac’s performance, AD could only praise him.

“He’s worked on his post-game, get into that jump hook. He has always been a good screener, good roller… offensive rebounder, good rim protector,” said AD after the loss. Moreover, he also highlighted Zubac’s latest offensive bag, saying, “He’s developed his post-game where they throwing it to him and he’s finishing with his right hook. So, you know, he’s added that to his arsenal.” In short, we can say, Zubac has all the weapons to stand beside AD and reduce his load. Now, let’s look at how Rob Pelinka made a costly miss in 2019.

In search of Anthony Davis, the Lakers made a costly error

It wasn’t just Julius Randle, Brandon Ingram, and Lonzo Ball that the Lakers gave away before their 2020 championship. Ivica Zubac was also one of the players in the bag of gems. The star came into the side in the 2016-17 season for a three-year rookie contract for $3.8 million. The team utilized the big man for an average of 13.7 minutes per game for three seasons and barely brought him into the main mix.

It was the time when the team was actively looking to add Anthony Davis from the Pelicans. Rob Pelinka had to free up space to accommodate a perfect roster for LeBron James to go for his fourth ring. A season after James’ inclusion, the team refused to extend Zubac’s rookie contract. This is when the Clippers grabbed the opportunity to sign a three-year deal for $21 million with the then-free agent.

While the Lakers made an instant gain off the trade, in the long run, the Clippers seemed to have found themselves on the winning side. Even LeBron James, speaking of Zubac’s top-notch performance last night, said, “Big Zu, Big time”. So, let us know. Was it a costly miss?

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