Stephen A. Smith did not hold back when calling out Anthony Davis for the Los Angeles Lakers’ loss against the Denver Nuggets to start off the 2023-2024 NBA season. As many fans might have heard, there was quite a lot of trash talk and other exchanges between the Nuggets and Lakers this offseason.
Since the Lakers had been swept from the Western Conference Finals by the Nuggets, many NBA experts opined that their season opener against the defending champions would be a perfect opportunity for LeBron James and Anthony Davis to get back a shot at the Nuggets. However, things did not go as planned and the Lakers ended up losing.
Stephen A. is a well-known member of the NBA media. He placed the majority of blame for this loss to the Nuggets on Anthony Davis. Let us take a closer look at what he had to say.
Can Anthony Davis help the Los Angeles Lakers win an NBA title?
One could make an argument that Anthony Davis is one of the most unique players in the league. Although he has incredible talent and potential, he also shows a lack of motor and injury risk frequently. As a result, fans can never really know what they are going to get from AD. Simply put, he is not reliable or consistent enough when compared to other stars in the league.
In the Lakers’ loss to the Nuggets, AD was unable to score a single point for the entire second half of the game. Considering that he had voiced his anticipation for the matchup against the Nuggets, Stephen A. Smith showed him no mercy.
“Atrocious. Very concerning. Ladies and gentlemen: You just saw the reason why the Los Angeles Lakers ain’t going to win no championship this year.”
Stephen A. Smith on Anthony Davis going 0-of-6 from the field (0 PTS) in the 2nd half last night 🗣pic.twitter.com/g5yebpowi0
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 25, 2023
“Atrocious. Very concerning. Ladies and gentlemen: You just saw the reason why the Los Angeles Lakers ain’t going to win no championship this year. You talk all of this mess in the offseason. I’m so ticked off with Anthony Davis right now its an embarrassment what happened with him yesterday. We gotta call it like we see it.”
Since the Lakers have now lost 5 straight games to the Denver Nuggets, perhaps Stephen A. is making a valid point. At the very least, AD should have played well in the second half. He finished the night with 17 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists but could not stop the Nuggets from winning the game with a final score of 119-107.