The NBA on TNT crew analyzed the Los Angeles Lakers play before they faced the Boston Celtics and moved to 13-12 on the season.
One moment, in particular, involving Charles Barkley, who had plenty to say about Lakers big man Anthony Davis, went viral.
Though Davis’ numbers on paper don’t resemble a player struggling, the eye test reveals he can clearly be better.
He put on muscle during the offseason but hasn’t leveraged his unique blend of talent to punish defenders, especially smaller ones. That’s been key in him becoming the NBA’s least efficient shooter so far this season.
So, before tipoff between the Lakers and Celtics, Barkley ripped Davis for his play and said head coach Frank Vogel should not be receiving criticism for the team’s play:
“Listen, Anthony Davis, you’ve got to play better. I said this on the first night. If the Lakers were gonna be any good, it was all gonna be on you. It has nothing to do with Russell. Has nothing to do with LeBron, and the rest of them old a– geezers they put together out there. But now y’all have crossed the line because I really like Frank Vogel. It ain’t his fault.
“In my opinion, I blame Anthony Davis. Anthony Davis, you know I like you as a person, but you ain’t doing what you’re supposed to do. You’re 27 years old. You’re supposed to be in your prime. You’re supposed to be one of the five best players in the world, up there with Giannis, Kevin Durant and those guys, and you ain’t holding up your end of the bargain. So, now I hear y’all are going to fire the head coach. That’s total B.S., man.”
Chuck sounds off on AD and the Lakers' struggles this season 👀
(via @NBAonTNT)pic.twitter.com/yIeHorTRiZ
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 8, 2021
Barkley has criticized Davis before, particularly with his injury history, but he does make a point about the eight-time All-Star. The Lakers need him to play like the dominant big he is and not try to be someone he isn’t.
Davis proceeded to drop only 17 points with Robert Williams as his matchup, which is just too substandard for the tier Davis is in compared to the Timelord.
The Celtics did their part on defense by trapping, digging and blitzing Davis when he received the ball, especially in the post, and Davis often succumbed to the pressure. That just can’t be the case for someone of his caliber.
Davis stepped it up in the second half, but 17 points on 13 shots won’t cut it.
