“Anthony Davis Wants to Play, but the Lakers Hold Back!”: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Defends 8x All-star Against Unfair Criticism

Many consider Anthony Davis one of the league’s top centers and power forwards. He excels in both offense and defense, giving his team a significant advantage. However, injuries have plagued Davis throughout his career, negatively impacting his performance and playing time. On The Old Man and the Three show, JJ Redick and former Lakers star Kentavious Caldwell-Pope defended the eight-time All-Star against the criticism he faces due to his injuries.

During his 11 seasons in the NBA, Anthony Davis played for the New Orleans Pelicans and the Los Angeles Lakers. In 660 regular season games, he maintained an average of 24.0 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 2.3 blocks. However, over the past three seasons, injuries have limited Davis to just 139 games, preventing him from reaching his peak performance.

Former Lakers teammate Kentavious Caldwell-Pope defends Anthony Davis from being maligned by the media due to injuries

The media often mocks Anthony Davis despite his respectable career achievements. Davis, a 6’10” center and power forward, is frequently criticized for his recurring injuries, which some attribute to his towering height. From 2020 to 2022, he suffered multiple ankle and MCL injuries that sometimes jeopardized the Lakers’ playoff prospects.

Nevertheless, former teammate Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and former Clippers star JJ Redick come to Davis’ defense. Redick goes as far as considering Davis one of the NBA’s most unfairly criticized superstar players. In agreement, Caldwell-Pope holds Lakers management responsible for undermining Davis, even when he expresses his determination to perform at his best despite his injuries. In support of his former Lakers teammate, Caldwell-Pope stated:

“AD does a lot. You know, like you might not see, like, you might not be doing them, he’s covering that basket, you know what I am saying. So like he might go up for a block and come down on somebody’s feet, so that’s just like an accident. So like, the availability, he wants to play through his injuries but that just the organization holds back on that.” 

To prevent premature career decline, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope emphasizes the importance of NBA athletes taking care of their bodies. He believes that Anthony Davis possesses the ideal combination of defensive and offensive skills. In his comeback game in 2022, Davis delivered a stunning performance, scoring 37 points and grabbing 18 rebounds in a thrilling 116-103 victory against the Brooklyn Nets. This achievement made him the first player since the 1973-74 season to achieve at least 38 points, five steals and blocks, and 20 or more rebounds in a single game.

A healthy Davis could have made a great difference for the Lakers

Despite Anthony Davis’s impressive statistics and accomplishments, injuries continued to plague him. During a playoff loss to the Warriors, the Lakers had to wheel Davis out of the arena in a wheelchair. This incident drew laughter from TNT analysts Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley, with Barkley even mimicking a paper version of Davis on live television.

Considering the impact AD can have on the Lakers when he is healthy, he remains a crucial figure for the team. The new and transitioning Lakers must prioritize placing Davis in a position where they minimize his injuries. Additionally, the management should avoid holding players back against their wishes to play. Perhaps AD and the Lakers can work together to find the perfect solution to address this ongoing issue of injuries.