Charles Barkley had some harsh words for Lakers star Anthony Davis after an underwhelming season debut against the Nuggets.
Davis tallied just 17 points and eight rebounds on 17 shots in Tuesday’s loss and was held scoreless in the second half, making it impossible for the Lakers to make a sustained push to get back in the game.
Afterwards, Barkley was critical of Davis for not living up to the lofty hype that has surrounded him for years.
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“I said when he was in New Orleans [that] this guy is going to be the best basketball player in the world in the next five years. He’s not even mentioned anymore when you talk about the best players in the game,” Barkley said. “LeBron has said it publicly: It’s (Davis’s) team now. And you wonder when the light is going to kick on because he [doesn’t] have to play great every night, but you can’t go a whole half and not score.”
Shaq: "It's about being consistent at what you're going to do. He's a 29, 30 point guy."
— Oh no he didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) October 25, 2023
Charles Barkley: "He's not even mentioned anymore when we talk about the best players in the game... You wonder when the light is going to kick on."
Anthony Davis; AD; Lakers pic.twitter.com/jgFqpMj2ou
That’s harsh criticism of Davis, whose role will be magnified this season as the Lakers attempt to manage LeBron James’ workload throughout the regular season. James played just 29 minutes Tuesday night and said postgame that “there’s a system in place” to limit his wear-and-tear. That means more pressure on Davis to deliver, and the talented forward failed the first test Tuesday.
We’ll see if Davis produces a bounceback performance against the Suns on Thursday night, who are coming off a season-opening victory over the Warriors.
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