The Lakers were humiliated in the City of Brotherly Love as the 76ers beat them by 44 points during tonight’s game. Prior to the action starting, the 76ers’ backup big man Paul Reed went off on Anthony Davis, calling the Lakers’ center a flopper.
“He’s a big flopper so make sure I don’t get in foul trouble early by any—I can’t be too aggressive with him. He’s gonna be flailing so I gotta make sure I stay out of foul trouble.”
“He’s a big flopper so make sure I don’t get in foul trouble early by any—I can’t be too aggressive with him. He’s gonna be flailing so I gotta make sure I stay out of foul trouble.” 😳
– Paul Reed on defending Anthony Davis
(Via @Ky_Carlin) pic.twitter.com/WXDysT9ff8
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 27, 2023
Darvin Ham tried to use the comment from Reed as a motivational tool for Davis, responding relatively quickly to what was said.
“He’s got to go guard him, I guess… Best of luck, Paul.”
Darvin Ham on Paul Reed calling Anthony Davis a “big flopper” this morning: “He’s got to go guard him, I guess. … Best of luck, Paul”
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) November 27, 2023
Unfortunately for Ham and AD, they couldn’t get their comeuppance on the court as they fell to a 44-point loss. Reed came off the bench to play just 17 minutes but dropped 9 points on 4-5 shooting in that time. The pair did face off for one play in the game, but Davis didn’t end up scoring on Reed as the Philly big man forced a turnover.
Obviously, Davis clears Reed on the court as a player. But when a role-player calls you out this viciously and you can’t make him pay for his comments, it shows that you may not be the same MVP-caliber player you once were. Reed mocked AD and walked out with the win, even though he’s a bench player talking to one of the leaders in the DPOY race.
Anthony Davis Looking Less Threatening
Ever since groin and hip injuries from earlier this month have started slowing Davis down, he hasn’t been able to produce at a high level for the Lakers. He’s averaging 21.8 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks on the season and is still shying away from taking the responsibilities of a primary scoring option. LeBron James is still leading the franchise in points this season, which is not ideal given he is turning 39 years old at the end of December, Davis needs to be the one to take this load off James.
The Lakers are reportedly looking for a third star to relieve the pressure on LeBron and Davis at the top of the lineup, but will there be any deal on the market that allows them to improve without giving up elements of their roster?
If they make a trade for Zach Lavine, they’ll have to move off the on-ball creation and shooting of D’Angelo Russell, along with the size and forward depth that Rui Hachimura provides. That would open more holes on the roster that the Lakers will rue later, with fans likely criticizing the team for making that trade. The team is entering a lose-lose situation with their roster, and there’s no one move that’ll suddenly make them competitive against the elite rosters.
If the Lakers want to genuinely contend, it’s going to be almost impossible to make it happen this season. Unless they move off Anthony Davis for another superstar, I just don’t see how the Lakers can expect to win a title while reliant on an injury-prone 30-year-old and a 39-year-old forward in Year 21 of his career.
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