After just three games into the new season, people are already wringing their hands and shaking their heads about the Los Angeles Lakers.
That is to be expected because the team has lost every single game so far which is obviously a trainwreck of a start to the year.
Most of the focus has been on Russell Westbrook and his achingly bad games but one NBA analyst is looking in other directions too.
"I came on the air and talked about how Anthony Davis was a top-seven player. I take it back. Damn it, he don't look like it. … What has happened to Anthony Davis?"
😳 @stephenasmith pic.twitter.com/qfEdbgeSR3
— First Take (@FirstTake) October 25, 2022
Stephen A. Smith was fired up about LA on ESPN and pointed his finger at another player: Anthony Davis.
“I came on the air and talked about how Anthony Davis was a top-seven player. I take it back. Damn it, he don’t look like it,” Smith said with his trademark mix of raw emotion and aghast dismay.
After claiming that Davis is afraid of the basket and is a mess from the three-point line, Smith asked, “What has happened to Anthony Davis?”
Is Smith the only one asking this?
The Past & Present Davis
Davis is currently averaging 24.7 points, 8 rebounds, and 1 assist a game.
Compare that to his career average of 23.8 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists and you see a player who has gotten better in some ways and worse in others.
On paper, Davis is still a very capable and skilled big man.
But Smith isn’t the only one who feels that he pales in comparison to the player everyone fell in love with when he was with the New Orleans Pelicans.
He isn’t performing with the same drive, passion, and athleticism that he once did.
If Davis was part of a fully functioning, healthy squad, Davis would be looking a lot better.
But right now people are disappointed by what he’s doing – and what he’s lacking.
NEXT: The Lakers May Trade For A Sharpshooting Veteran Guard