72 games into the season Anthony Davis finally meets preseason goal set by Darvin Ham

After the Lakers beat one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference without arguably their best star LeBron James, head coach Darvin Ham congratulated his other All-NBA veteran on reaching a goal set in the preseason. As noted by Dave McMenamin of ESPN, Anthony Davis attempted more than six 3-point attempts in their matchup against the Bucks. This was the first time all season he'd hit that mark, despite Ham marking it as a preseason goal.

L.A. needed Davis and the All-NBA center produced 34 points and 23 rebounds in the matchup. Of the three 3-pointers that the star made, one of them was able to tie the game in overtime. The Lakers looked heavily outmatched without LeBron as the squad faced an early blowout before Davis and Austin Reaves led a comeback for the ages in the fourth quarter.

After tying the game in regulation, the Lakers needed two overtimes to pull out the victory. Along with his performance in this game, Davis has been playing greatly this season and has looked like a top big man once again. As Davis continues to excel, does his accomplishments this season put him back on the top of the league when it comes to big men?

Has Anthony Davis restored his spot as a top big in this league?

While Davis has played extremely well this season, the center still isn't the top option on this Lakers franchise. Even though LeBron James, has been looking to defer in his old age onto Davis for multiple seasons now, the center has been unable to take that step. Combined with poor coaching decisions, injuries, and not having a clear point guard, this is a reason that the Lakers are not a top-six seed.

Even though the franchise has been unable to have Davis as their first option, the squad is currently on a four-game winning streak with no tough opponents for the next five games. The Lakers are slated to face off against the Grizzlies, Pacers, Nets, Raptors, and Wizards in their next five games.

If the Lakers can win four or all of their next five games, they have a good shot to get to the ninth or eighth seed before the regular season ends. As the Lakers look primed to move up in the Western Conference standings, Anthony Davis seems to be rolling at the right time.