"He's due for another bad game tomorrow"- Charles Barkley expects Anthony Davis to shrink in Game 4 against the Warriors
LA Lakers superstar Anthony Davis has been one of the most mercurial players in this season's playoffs. However, he has earned bit of a reputation for his inconsistent performances, and TNT analyst Charles Barkley shared his own educated opinion on what we could expect from the big man in Game 5.
Anthony Davis continues to his trend of putting up great performances in alternate games in the playoffs. After some monster performances in games against the Memphis Grizzlies, Davis would follow up by appearing like a shell of himself.
It goes without saying that this has been rather infuriating for fans of the Lakers. To top it off, it has also done a fair amount of damage to Davis' reputation as a superstar.
This was most evident when the panel of "Inside the NBA" were discussing the next game between the Lakers and the Warriors at Crypto.com Arena. Former NBA player Charles Barkley shared his thoughts on AD's impact on the game and said:
"If he plays great, the Lakers are going to win, but he's due for another bad game tomorrow."
While Kenny Smith was trying to defend Davis' case, Chuck was set on his opinion. He added:
"A great player does not have - a player who is talented, who is consistent, does not have those variations."
"If he plays great, the Lakers are going to win, but he's due for another bad game tomorrow."
Chuck wants to see consistency from Anthony Davis 👀 https://t.co/d1L832MJEc
Barkley's criticism could be considered harsh, but it certainly isn't incorrect. With a crucial game on the line, the Lakers will undoubtedly need Davis to rise to the occasion.
With a challenge placed in front of him, we look forward to seeing what the Lakers superstar can produce.
Anthony Davis needs to be present defensively
The fact that Anthony Davis has been wildly inconsistent is something that needs to be accepted rather than criticized at this juncture. However, while it is something that is to be expected offensively, Davis needs to be a force defensively at the very least.
Anthony Davis' inconsistency was a pressure point in the Grizzlies series as well. However, the only difference was that the big man was still a presence on the defensive side of the ball. This was certainly not the case in Game 2 against the Golden State Warriors.
Davis has displayed that he can still be a force on the rebounding glass and on the shot-blocking end even on nights that he isn't scoring well.
This will be crucial for the Lakers as the look to protect homecourt in Game 4. Should Davis be out of foul trouble for the most part, the Purple and Gold will be in a great position to win.
Anthony Davis this playoffs:
Odd games — Even games —
27.8 PPG 13.0 PPG
16.8 RPG 10.3 RPG
57.0 FG% 40.4 FG% https://t.co/sS9oZ7guZM