The Los Angeles Lakers have a much-needed break to figure things out. They are 3-7 in their last ten and have been incredibly disappointing. There has been a lack of effort and plenty of moments when fans questioned where this season is headed. LeBron James looks mortal, and the Lakers do not have enough talent around him to be a serious title contender.
The rough stretch has created plenty of noise. LeBron trade rumors came flooding in, and Bill Plaschke wrote the Lakers should dump their two stars in the Los Angeles Times. The piece features plenty of criticisms of their play and hits too close to home for many Lakers fans.
Plaschke had some particularly harsh words for Anthony Davis. The nine-time All-Star has been inconsistent this season, but this hurt for an even more painful reason.
Scathing review of Anthony Davis is painful because it is true
The LA Times scribe wrote this about AD when listing the problems with the franchise’s current stars.
“They have arguably one of the five best big men in the game, but Davis doesn’t play like a big man, hasn’t embraced Redick’s goal of making him an MVP, and still generally shows up only every other night.”
He is right. Davis is a nine-time All-Star and a member of the NBA 75. The 6’10 big man offers elite defense and scoring. He is a top-20 player in the world when locked in, but fans do not always get that.
Davis has scored 30 points or more 12 times this season, and the Lakers are 9-3 in those contests. He put up 15 or fewer four times, and his team is winless in those games. It is a similar story with all his stats. If AD is on his game, LA is difficult to defeat, but there are too many nights where Davis is nowhere to be found.
New head coach JJ Redick wanted Davis to reach new heights. It looked like he may have after 15 games. AD averaged 31.3 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.9 blocks in 35.2 minutes per game. He was shooting 57.3 percent from the field and 43.3 percent on his 3-point attempts.
Over the last nine, AD averages 21.6 points, 11.2 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.3 steals, and 2.1 blocks on 45.7 percent shooting from the field and 15.0 percent on his threes.
That is life with Davis as a top option. There are moments where he looks like a top-five player and others where he is a fringe star. The Lakers simply do not have enough talent to win when the lesser AD shows up.
Anthony Davis wants to win Defensive Player of the Year and be mentioned in conservations with the best in the world. To make it a reality, he has to consistently play like one. The 31-year-old cannot just show up 40 times per year. They need him playing at an elite level every time out.
The Los Angeles Lakers cannot expect Davis to change at this stage in his career. They will experience the highs and lows of his play. It will be one of the many reasons why the franchise will be in the Play-In Tournament for the third straight year. They need more from AD, but won’t get it.