From the moment he was hired, JJ Redick believed that Anthony Davis could play a much larger role in the Lakers’ offense. Redick told reporters during the preseason that the players and coaching staff intended for Davis to touch the ball as often as possible, which would also ease the strain on 39-year-old LeBron James.

This plan has worked surprisingly well so far from an offensive perspective.

Davis is averaging the most points of his career and playing like a top-five MVP candidate. The Lakers have gone from an average offensive player to No. 4 in offensive efficiency, thanks largely to the perfect role Redick has created for his star center.

Here are the changes Redick made to unleash Davis and the rest of the Lakers’ offense.

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Anthony Davis scores better than MVP Shaq

Davis’ raw numbers are unlike anything the Lakers have ever seen from a big man.

Los Angeles has been home to famous centers such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, George Mikan and Shaq. No one has averaged more than Davis’ 30.1 points per game. That even includes Shaq during his MVP season in 2000.

Davis scores more efficiently than Shaq and scores more often. This happened for several reasons.

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Davis has rediscovered his 3-pointer

When AD hits his 3s, the Lakers are a different team.

Davis shot 38.3 percent deep in the 2020 bubble and led Los Angeles to the championship. Since this hot streak, he has become both a reluctant and inaccurate shooter. Former head coaches Frank Vogel and Darvin Ham tried to get him to fly more often, to no avail.

Redick has succeeded where his predecessors failed. Davis is hitting 40.6 percent of his 3s, his highest in the last four years (2.1 attempts per game). This commitment to the 3 began in the preseason when Redick designed an opening play to give AD a 3.

“He did it,” Redick said after that game. “Whether that’s confidence or relief, he was ready to shoot tonight. We want him ready to shoot.”

Redick put so much pressure on Davis that he became a dangerous shooting machine throughout the Olympics, preseason and regular season. That trust in his star has yielded immediate results.

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The plan to make Davis an offensive center is working

Davis is getting more attention and his decision-making is being tested every night. He explained his new role during an appearance on SportsCenter earlier this year.

“It’s some of the schemes that JJ has put into action that makes me the center of the offense and plays through me. I just have to understand this. I feel very confident at the moment.”

Davis was a great passer at the elbow. Redick has used him there in Warriors-style splits where he hits cutters for layups. He acted as an outlet for James when defenders tried to deny him the ball.

Davis also made some slick passes in the Lakers’ delay sets, where he gets the ball at the top of the 3-point line. This pulled the opposing centers further up the floor and opened up space for layups.

Since Davis has a lot more movement in the team’s offense, he had good passing options.

“We have constant movement when someone has the ball,” Davis said on SportsCenter. “There’s not a lot of standing around, which doesn’t give the defense a chance to step up.”

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Davis was the Lakers’ main scoring weapon

This is the first time since James joined the Lakers that he hasn’t led the team in usage rate. That honor goes to Davis, who converts on 31.6 percent of the team’s possessions, which is slightly higher than the 31.2 percent enjoyed by MVP Shaq a quarter-century ago.

While Shaq was a weak post player, Davis was a much more versatile offensive player. He was good in isolation and remains one of the league’s best rollers, ranking in the 95th percentile of players. He’s a great finisher at the rim, he’s got a great floater and he’s rediscovered that jumper to keep defenses honest. There’s simply no way to stop him these days.

Davis has assumed the role of clearly the best player on this team, and that was Redick’s plan. That took the pressure off James, who still plays like an All-NBA player himself.

Davis always had those skills, but Redick knew how to capitalize on his passing, shooting and scoring opportunities. This led to the best season of Davis’ career and a Lakers offense that is one of the best in the league.