At long last, Anthony Davis is back in uniform! And not surprisingly, unless you've truly given up on any hope for this season and officially entered the gloom sphere, the Lakers looked notably better during a 106-96 win in Brooklyn over the Nets.

It wasn't so much that Davis dominated while on the court. He only scored eight points, spent much of the game in foul trouble and often looked like a player still getting his timing back. But given his talent and importance to this team on both sides of the ball, his mere presence made a tangible difference, whether schematically or just psychologically. The Lakers are now, save Kendrick Nunn, whole again, with a rotation that's largely set, and Davis' availability allows them to play their best guys. (Trevor Ariza and Dwight Howard both went from starters to DNP-CD, and Stanley Johnson joined the first five.) Guys felt more comfortable taking chances defensively, knowing AD constituted the backline. Down the line, things fell into place.

To be clear, Davis isn't a panacea by himself, and there's still a LOT of work to be done moving forward. But if the Lakers at least want an opportunity to reach their highest ceiling, however high you think that is, the opportunity ain't happening without AD.

Plus, a member of Lakers Twitter may be getting a Frank Vogel back tat!

Hosts: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT ONE: Anthony Davis returns! How did he look?

SEGMENT TWO: How best to go about getting a Frank Vogel back tat?

SEGMENT THREE: How AD's return affected the team's defense and psyche.

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