Anthony Davis has been playing some of his best career basketball off-late. The former champion has been filling the stat sheet with staggering numbers, leading his team in points, rebounds, steals, and blocks, hoping to flip the switch for the Lakers post their horrendous start to the season.
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In the 23 games played so far, AD has averaged 27.7 PPG, 12.4 RPG, 1.3 SPG, and 2.2 BPG, shooting an efficient 59.6% from the field. The former Pelicans superstar aims to silence all those scrutinizing him for his injury-prone nature, with Hall of Famers like Charles Barkley calling him ‘street clothes.’
Removing Anthony Davis’ 8 minutes at CLE and a DNP at TOR, here’s his trip:
At MIL: 44P, 10R, 4A, 3B
At WAS: 55P, 17R, 1A, 3B
At PHI: 31P, 12R, 2S, 2B
At DET: 34P, 15R, 7A, 2SHe shot 69.3% FG’s, 50.0% 3’s and 86.7% FT’s, with 1.2 TO’s per game.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) December 13, 2022
Despite Davis’ impressive outings lately, NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal refuses to acknowledge the 6ft 10″ All-Star among the all-time Lakers bigs. According to the Big Diesel, AD is a power forward and not a center, despite the latter having played all his minutes at the C position in the current season.
During a recent interview with Vincent Goodwill from Yahoo Sports, Shaq gave his honest reviews on Davis’ performances off-late.
Shaquille O’Neal’s confession on Anthony Davis’ phenomenal run and ranking amongst all-time Lakers bigs.
Having played 8-seasons for the Lakers and brought 3-championships in an iconic 3-peat to the city of LA, Shaq is among the all-time great centers to don the purple and gold. Recently, when asked about AD’s positioning among other bigs like Howard and Bynum, the Diesel replied the following.
“First note, let’s not get it twisted, Anthony Davis is not a big man, he’s a power forward,” said Shaq. “So let’s just let’s put combined big man and power forward, we can have this argument all day, every day. He’s playing great. Not being critical of him, I’m giving him the same information that Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar) gave me.”
While O’Neal did have high words of praise for Davis, he remarked how expectations from the latter were high.
“It was one point in his career, I think he was with in New Orleans, we were saying that in two years he’s going to be the best player in the league,” said the Diesel. “He’s had a lot of injuries. But look, they’re playing well. Well, he went to LA the first year, did what he supposed to do. They won a championship, a bubble championship. And when you live in LA, that’s what we expect. We expect championship.”
Shaq’s statements seem a reflection of the traditional image of a big man who bulldozes his way in the paint, posterizing opponents. However, the Diesel seems to have to forget the game has changed today and possessing a skill set is the need of the hour.
Anthony Davis is a top 5 player.
When healthy, there is no doubt that Davis ranks among the top 5 players in the league today. The eight-time All-Star is one of the most skilled bigs the game has ever seen.
A two-way big, AD holds the key to the Lakers making the playoffs, the only point of concern being the former NCAA champion’s injury-prone nature.
