Shaquille O’Neal found himself amused by a certain graphic that used different versions of his career to signify Anthony Davis’ dips in scoring in alternate games.
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Anthony Davis has been the X-Factor for the Lakers ever since he joined the team 4 years back. Rob Pelinka farmed out a future All-Star, 2 starting guards, and several picks to land AD. But the Lakers struck gold in their first season, and it was termed as a win-win trade.
However, they lost a good bit of their depth in their attempt to sign a star as insurance for injuries to AD. Getting Westbrook from Washington cost them 2 3-and-D players – Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Kyle Kuzma.
They fell out of play-in contention for a year before mending their mistake by trading Brodie away. They’re 23-9 since February 9 and are primed to make the Western Conference Finals.
However, the play of Anthony Davis hasn’t been uniformly great across games.
Shaquille O’Neal mocks the duality of Anthony Davis’ performances with his Instagram story
Anthony Davis has been averaging 21.2 points per game on 51% shooting from the field and 88% on free throws. However, his performance has ranged from MVP-level to starter-caliber in alternating games.
The Brow is averaging a whopping 27.8 points and 16.8 rebounds per game in odd-numbered games, on 57% from the field. These numbers dip to 13 points and 10.3 rebounds per game on 43% from the field in even-numbered games.
Although his defense has been amazing in every single appearance, this disparity has gained the attention of NBA Twitter. The memes about his duality in alternating games seems to have reached Shaq.
O’Neal shared a meme graphic with 2 pictures of his – one from his Lakers days, and the other from his Celtics season.
Can the Lakers win the championship with AD and LeBron James firing this way?
The Lakers have so far faced 2 teams short on size and offensive firepower from their frontcourt. Jaren Jackson Jr has gotten better, but he works best as a 4 alongside Steven Adams or Brandon Clarke. Kevon Looney and Draymond Green are too ineffective on the offensive end.
However, things will change once the Lakers run into the Nuggets or the Suns. Both teams have capable offensive players at the 5 position – even though Deandre Ayton has been way off the mark of late.
The Lakers will definitely need production from AD.
