Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers was spoken of as a possible MVP candidate entering the season.
From October to December, he was scoring better than he has in years and was regularly posting more than 30 points and 10 rebounds a night.
Double-doubles were something he was doing so often that it looked like he could get them in his sleep.
Sadly, Davis’ performance was halted for a few weeks during an injury toward the end of December.
Since returning, he has still been claiming a lot of double-doubles but some people have noted that he isn’t playing with the same level of power he had at the start of the year.
Shaquille O’Neal, never one to shy away from critiquing NBA players, gave his honest opinion of Davis on NBA on TNT.
Shaq had some thoughts on Anthony Davis pic.twitter.com/Ba4Up8AiAp
— ClutchPoints NBA (@ClutchPointsNBA) March 2, 2023
“I don’t want to say this disrespectfully, but he has fell off,” O’Neal said.
This statement from O’Neal obviously riled up Lakers fans who feel that they still have one of the best big men in the league.
Based solely on stats, it’s hard to see what the legendary O’Neal is talking about.
He is still averaging impressive numbers and has been a pivotal part of a few major wins for the Lakers.
Yet, it cannot be denied that he’s not as consequential and dominant as he was in the first few months of this season.
Saying that he has fallen off might be a bit drastic but Davis isn’t at quite the same level he was just months ago.
The good news is that Davis has more help than before thanks to strong trades initiated by LA’s front office.
The team is able to rely on more stars and spread the responsibilities around, including down in the paint.
NEXT: Colin Cowherd Calls Out Lakers' Anthony Davis
