JJ Redick reveals he recently challenged Anthony Davis defensively: ‘He’s been unbelievable since’

Thanks to JJ Redick having a conversation with Anthony Davis, he’s back to being an elite defender.

While Anthony Davis has consistently been the team's best defender, he had moments in November when he was far from the Defensive Player of the Year level he's usually at.

There are plenty of fair reasons why AD's defense took a slight dip. For one, he has more offensive responsibility than ever and giving more on the offensive end makes it harder to give the same effort defensively.

Also, with the rest of the team playing some of the worst defense in the league pre-Thanksgiving, it might've been hard for AD to lock in, knowing plenty of people around him were flat-out and not doing their job well.

Lakers coach JJ Redick noticed Davis' dip in defensive performance and talked with him about what he needed from his star forward to get the defense back on track.

"I would say there's a number of factors that have helped our defense improve over the last 11 games," Redick said after Saturday's win in Sacramento. "I could go down the list of those, but the reality is we are not going to be a good defensive team, we can't be a good defensive team unless he's fully engaged on that end.

"I challenged him a few weeks ago and he's been unbelievable ever since. That starts with trying to get back and load in transition. It starts with his physical box outs, his talk. His demeanor has been great for the last few weeks and it's a big reason our defense has been so good."

Over the past 11 games, the Lakers have refocused on their defense and it’s paying off. The team's defensive rating is 108.2, which is sixth in the league. They've allowed just 107.9 points per game, seventh fewest during that span.

AD has been a big part of the Lakers' regaining their defensive "swagger" by doing exactly what Redick has mentioned: getting back on defense to stop transition buckets and being more aggressive in protecting the paint.

This has resulted in some highlight blocks, reminding everyone that Davis can reach a level of defensive dominance that most simply can't. He's now fifth all-time in blocks as a Laker, passing Kobe Bryant during the team's most recent road trip.

The team's defense has also adjusted from constantly switching to having possessions where they don't, which allows AD to drop back and defend the rim.

We all know what AD can provide defensively, as he's showcased it for years, so it's good to see that a slight dip in play has evaporated and the dominant Davis defense is back.

It's also good to know that Redick can challenge his players and that they respond well afterward. Redick’s done this before, challenging Austin Reaves for not competing and he responded well, helping the Lakers beat the Sixers in the following game.

Coaching is managing and knowing Redick can have uncomfortable conversations even with his biggest stars and get buy-in from them is huge.

AD will likely remain at this defensive level, but what about the rest of the team? Can they be this good defensively from now on? If they can, that would certainly raise this team's ceiling.

This 11-game sample size is far too small to predict what this Lakers team will be like from now on, but it does demonstrate that they can reach this level of play when locked in.

Let's see if they can keep it up for the rest of December, with matchups against high-powered offenses like the Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors and another contest against the Kings.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.