Over the past nine years, it’s clear now that Lakers superstar Anthony Davis is one of the most talented bigs in the game. As a beast who can play both inside and out, and also dominate both sides of the floor, he’s one of the most well-rounded players in the NBA and an enormous asset to the Lakers.
In a chat on the ‘No Chill’ podcast with Gilbert Arenas, former NBA Champ Richard Jefferson agreed that the Lakers will only go as far as AD takes them this season.
“The only way for the Lakers, if everybody is healthy, to win that series [vs. Brooklyn] is if Anthony Davis is the best player on the Lakers.”
It has been said before that Davis needs to be L.A.’s best player if they are to maximize their potential as a team, and we saw how that played out during their title run in 2020.
Unfortunately for the Lakers, Davis is not a model of consistency, and one can never be sure what to expect from him on any given night, month, or season.
In fact, during the same segment, RJ laid into Davis for not being totally reliable, boldly stating that it keeps him from being named a top 5 player.
“They took control of the series when Anthony Davis was playing like the best player on the floor like a top-five player like everyone says. But no one calls him a top-five player, they call him a top-five talent. A top five talent is one of the most disrespectful things. The reason why I call you a top five talent and not a top five player is because top five players do it every single night. And they impact the game not just with their numbers at the end of the game. They impact their game and you’re like, ‘dude, that dude was a monster.’”
After winning the Championship, Anthony Davis was never quite right and struggled to stay healthy and play aggressively throughout this past campaign.
Of course, Davis can not be completely to blame for L.A.’s quick exit from the 2021 bracket. A lot of factors went into that.
But if the Lakers are serious about winning the title again, and beating Kevin Durant and company, AD is going to have to play the best ball of his life and prove, once and for all, that he can be a guy who can be counted on.
