Anthony Davis has turned things around for the Lakers. After coming from an injury, he was unsure of playing to his fullest abilities. But when the team needed him the most AD has delivered. He led the Lakers to climb up from the 13th seed to the 7th. At one point, top six finish was looking like a very good possibility. But the Clippers and the Warriors had an extra match-win advantage. Hence, the Lakers finished the regular season as the 7th seed.
Anthony Davis has been the Lakers’ main power who helped the transformation of the team possible. He spearheads their offense as well as anchors the team’s defense. However, with just AD, it would not have been possible. That is why LeBron James returned from injury to save the team from the ongoing slump. D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves have also proved to be emerging stars at times as well. Then the whole team, Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, Dennis Schroder, and so on, all joined the party. Hence, it seemed possible for the Lakers to make the postseason. Currently, the squad is doing so well under the leadership of the eight-time All-Star. However, experts like Charles Barkley believe another bad game is around the corner.
Barkley Predicts Another Bad Game Tomorrow For Anthony Davis
However, the Lakers have been pretty inconsistent throughout the season. Specifically, Anthony Davis had a season of ups and downs. He has been through some major injury scares. It is quite evident that Anthony Davis is not completely fit. That has had bad effects on his performance as well. In some matches, he fails to score more than even fifteen points. Anthony Davis had a season full of odd and even games. In his odd games, AD averages 27.8 ppt but in even games, the average drops down to 13.0 ppt. Hence, Charles Barkley questions the greatness of Anthony Davis.
"If he plays great, the Lakers are going to win, but he's due for another bad game tomorrow."
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 8, 2023
Chuck wants to see consistency from Anthony Davis 👀 pic.twitter.com/d1L832MJEc
Anthony Davis this playoffs:
— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 7, 2023
Odd games — Even games —
27.8 PPG 13.0 PPG
16.8 RPG 10.3 RPG
57.0 FG% 40.4 FG% pic.twitter.com/sS9oZ7guZM
The American Dream Team member mentioned, “AD is due another bad game tomorrow. A great player is never due of such games due to issues with consistency.” Charles Barkley cannot register the fact that a great player can display a performance of 40 points in one game and, in the next, score 15. Furthermore, Barkley says that is not a sign of a great player. AD must find consistency to prove Barkley wrong and help the Lakers win its 18th championship. Hence, that would make the LA side, the most successful team in NBA’s history. Currently, the Lakers are jointly the most successful team with Boston Celtics. The Celtics had their golden period during the time of Bill Russell. The legendary Bill Russell has won 11 NBA Championships in thirteen years. This record is definitely hard to beat.
Tough Challenge Against The Warriors For The Lakers
Currently, the Lakers have come a long way from just making the postseason. They are currently leading the series against the Warriors in Round 2 of the playoffs 2-1. In the meantime, all the Lakers need to focus on is maintaining consistency because it is still not over till it is over.
The Lakers need to beat the defending champions in two more games to clinch the series. But it won’t be that easy. The Golden States are a very strong team. Furthermore, that is the reason why they have won four championships in eight years.