"I said 5 years ago, this guy gonna be the best player in the world... He's disappointed everybody" - Charles Barkley launches a scathing attack on LA Lakers’ superstar big
Charles Barkley recently went after Anthony Davis for supposedly not playing to his potential over the past couple of years. Barkley claimed Davis disappointed everybody by not becoming the best player in the league, as he and many others had predicted the 8x All-Star to make that leap.
Here's what Barkley said about AD on TNT's "Inside the NBA" (via Talkin NBA):
"There's no 38-year-old guy who should be the best player on an NBA team. No matter how great LeBron is. Anthony Davis, I said five years ago, this guy gonna be the best player in the world... He's dissapointed everybody. He should've been the best player in the league by now."
Charles Barkley: "[Anthony Davis] has disappointed everybody. He should have been the best player in the league by now."
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Anthony Davis seemed destined to make the leap after helping the LA Lakers win their 17th championship in his first year with the franchise. However, his performance and numbers took a hit in the following two years due to injuries; AD missed almost 50% of the team's games during that stretch.
Davis was once compared to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid. But the last two years have seen his stock fall considerably.
Several former players have called out Davis for not living up to the expectations. Charles Barkley, in particular, has frequently blasted the former No. 1 pick for not stepping up and taking over the reins from LeBron James as the LA Lakers' leader.
Also read: Charles Barkley on why Anthony Davis is not in best player conversation: "I don't think he has that killer instinct"
Charles Barkley might have to retract his criticism of Anthony Davis following the latter's recent run
Charles Barkley has gone in on Anthony Davis many times. The Hall of Famer gave AD the infamous "street clothes" nickname after the latter spent most of the last two seasons on the sidelines.
In the past, Davis hadn't put up a solid enough string of performances to disprove Barkley. However, that will likely change following his recent run.
Also read: “Charles Barkley’s of the world calling him ‘street clothes’ and stuff like that, it might rake his nerves” - Stephen A. Smith on Anthony Davis’ comments regarding his injuries
Davis has led the Lakers to a 3-2 record in LeBron James' absence over the last five games. He has averaged a whopping 33.2 points, 17.4 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 2.2 blocks per game, shooting 59.6% from the floor.
He definitely seems like the AD that fans were accustomed to seeing when he was with the New Orleans Pelicans and during the Lakers' 2020 championship run. Some may even deem him a better version of that, given his performances over the last given games.
Anthony Davis is finally looking in solid rhythm. He seems to have embraced playing at the five under new coach Darvin Ham.
Opposing teams haven't been able to stop AD in the paint. He has also maintained his defensive efficiency, which has helped the Lakers improve during this recent stretch.
If Davis can keep up these performances for the rest of the season, his critics like Charles Barkley may have to put him back in the conversation as one of the best players in the league.