Team USA’s second exhibition game before the Paris Olympics was full of ups and downs. From gaining a 24-point lead over Australia early on to having it cut down to four in the final seconds, Team USA got tested in the thrilling contest. Fortunately, Anthony Davis was the most consistent player on the court throughout the game, scoring a double-double coming off the bench. While his performance should’ve earned him unanimous praise, Skip Bayless recently took to X to highlight the stark difference between the AD on Team USA and the one who laced up for the Lakers the previous season.
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After registering an 86-72 win against Canada in the first exhibition game, coach Kerr made some changes to the starting lineup, replacing Devin Booker and Jrue Holiday with Anthony Edwards and Jayson Tatum. However, the poor performance of the starters followed them in this game as well. AD led the team this time with 17 points and 14 rebounds and went 6-for-12 shooting from the floor.
Following AD’s game winning performance, Bayless posted a backhanded compliment on X, which sounded more like a shot at AD. The media veteran stated that if Davis played like this for the Lakers, their outcome in the league would’ve been very different in the last few seasons.
Bayless wrote, “If only Anthony Davis played as hard every night for the Lakers as he does every second of every game for Team USA.”
If only Anthony Davis played as hard every night for the Lakers as he does every second of every game for Team USA.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) July 15, 2024
Bayless believes that AD is playing a much better game for Team USA. Whereas when he represents the Purple and Gold, Davis lacks the intensity that we just witnessed.
However, it’s worth considering here that Team USA is full of future Hall of Famers and superstars, which allows more leeway to players like AD to play freely. AD has JT, Booker, Stephen Curry, LeBron James, and Ant-Man as teammates. On the other hand, for the Lakers, it’s just him and LeBron in key roles.
The 2023-24 season for Anthony Davis
The Los Angeles Lakers were not at their best in the previous season. But to say that AD failed at his job will be slightly unfair. He did have a few slumps and rough patches where he failed to perform on a stretch, but the All-Star came through with a stellar performance every time his team needed him.
AD contributed immensely for the only highlight of the Lakers’ 2023-24 season, the In-Season Tournament win.
AD dropped 41 points with 20 rebounds in the Finals against the Indiana Pacers. Even in their short-lived playoffs run this year, he averaged 27.8 points, 15.6 rebounds and four assists in five games. AD’s regular season average also stood at a decent 24.7 points per game with 12.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists, shooting 55.6% from the field.
