Starting with the In-Season Tournament championship, Anthony Davis has been playing his best basketball of the season.

He put up season-highs in both points and rebounds against the Pacers with 41 and 20, respectively, followed that up with a 37-point, 11-rebound night against the Dallas Mavericks and then gave the San Antonio Spurs 37 points and 10 rebounds to secure the road win without his partner in crime LeBron James.

The analysis of Davis’ game-to-game performance can be overly critical and exhausting, but the most common complaint is his оffensive production. Everyone acknowledges him as an elite defender, but every time his оffensive production wanes, the sirens sound and the chatter of his lack of aggression begins again.

Austin Reaves discussed how essential Davis is to the Lakers’ offense after the victory, in which Davis made the last defensive stop, stopping the Spurs from shooting a game-tying three.

“An оffensive possession is never a bad possession when we give AD the ball,” Reaves was quoted as sаying. “It shouldn’t have been necessary for us to learn it. His corpus of work over his career has essentially established that. But I think we’ve learned that wherever we can give him the ball anywhere on the floor against anybody, we like our chances because he’s such a great player. It’s amazing to see him play with such vigor right now. I don’t care what others sаy; I want him to keep doing what he’s doing. He does not need to defer to anybody. He should simply be himself.”

The guards are questioned about Davis’ performance if he scores less than his season averages. Reaves and D’Angelo Russell often emphasize their obligation to give Davis the ball and keep him engaged in the offense. With Russell’s 10 assists and Reaves’ seven off the bench, they did an excellent job of making Davis the main point in James’ absence.

Davis’ 38.3 points per game average over the previous three games is unsustainable, but maybe he’s found a rhythm he can build on for the remainder of December and beyond.

The talk all summer was about this being Davis’ team, about him being the greatest player on the Lakers and the face of the organization. The first 20-plus games didn’t reflect that, as it still seemed like a LeBron James team, much like every previous James squad.

However, if he can match this level of output, things might change, and Davis could be on his way to not just winning Defensive Player of the Year, but also entering the MVP debate.