The Lakers head into the new season with a revamped roster that’s still lead by two of the best players in the game. LeBron James is still considered to be one of the best despite father time creeping up behind him. Anthony Davis makes up the second half of the dynamic duo that led the team to a championship two seasons ago.
Davis was absolutely dominate during that championship run, yet this past season was a different story. His inability to consistently produce raised questions about whether he is top 5 player. The Laker’s big man recently came under flack by an old teammate of LeBron.
While on the No Chill Podcast with Gilbert Arenas, former Cleveland Cavalier and 2016 NBA Champion Richard Jefferson called Davis a top 5 talent instead of a top 5 player.
“No one calls him a top five player. They call him a top five talent. A top five talent is one of the most disrespectful things. The reason why I call you a top five talent and not a top five player is because top five players do it every single night.”
Jefferson went on to list who he thought were the 5 best players who could sway the outcome of a game every night: Giannis Antetokounmpo , Steph Curry, LeBron James, James Harden, and Kevin Durant.
One of the biggest reasons why the Lakers took an early exit in last year’s playoffs was Davis’ lack of production on the court. He just wasn’t the same then or in the regular season. Despite all of the experience and talent the team has added in their roster transformation, AD will need to step it up this season if they hope to make another championship run.
Of course remaining healthy would go a long way towards that goal as he only appeared 36 games before making it back in time for the playoffs. There’s no doubt that Anthony Davis can be a top 5 player in the NBA, it’s just a matter of if he can routinely play like one night after night.
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