On Wednesday morning, JJ Redick said that Anthony Davis of Los Angeles Lakers he cannot be an “alpha” player and fans should stop expecting that from him.
On Thursday, Brian Windhorst responded with a strong defense.
Acknowledging that he has his problems – “he’s a gardener and he has a problem with injuries” – Windhorst said that Davis “has a ten-year career where he has shown great success.”
He also said that Davis has been amazing in recent months and it was amazing in the recent season and the race.
.@WindhorstESPN acts to @jj_redick to say Anthony Davis is NOT an alpha:
“He’s had a decade-long career where he’s shown flashes of power … moments where he’s been a wallflower, and he’s had injury problems. … I don’t know why anyone would expect anything different.” pic.twitter.com/kvj500ehKP
– Get Up (@GetUpESPN) May 25, 2023
Windhorst said the Lakers traded a lot to acquire Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans a few years ago.
He hasn’t complained since, according to Windhorst.
Of course, Davis is often injured and sometimes not as dangerous as he should be.
But the Lakers have another championship sign for him.
Windhorst and Redick have spoken highly of Davis.
People need to stop expecting him to be the consistent leader that LeBron James is.
But who can really live up to the standards that Jacob sets?
Ever since the Lakers lost in the Western Conference Finals last week, some have started criticizing Davis.
They’ve been citing his difficult streak of good games followed by bad ones and his injury woes.
But as Windhorst said: Davis isn’t perfect, but he’s still one of the best and most efficient players in the league.
The problem is that he went to Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets.
Jokic is young and good in more ways than one.
But just because Davis was taken out of the equation by Jokic doesn’t mean he’s suddenly a bad player.
He doesn’t do it as well or as often as some Lakers fans would like.
But Davis is still the Lakers’ most important player — and he may be for a while.
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