JJ Redick cuts slack on Anthony Davis being 'nitpicked' by NBA media: "He is one of the most maligned great players"
Since joining the LA Lakers, Anthony Davis' game has been watched heavily under a microscope. This has led to him gaining some high praise, but has also resulted in the All-Star big man receiving a lot of criticism.
Dating back to his time with the New Orleans Pelicans, many agreed Anthony Davis had the potential to be a top five player in the NBA. He's shown that at times, but has also had some significant lows. Mainly, his constant battles with injury.
During a recent episode of "The Old Man and The Three" podcast, JJ Redick had on Denver Nuggets forward Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to discuss an array of topics. As a member of the 2020 LA Lakers team, KCP was asked to speak about AD.
While on the subject of Davis, JJ Redick opened up on how he feels the media nitpicks him more than other stars in the league:
"I've always obviously had respect for AD's game and didn't quite understand the media game. Now that I've been in media, I feel like he is one of the most maligned great players... There's all these ways to nitpick him, I don't think it's fair."
Does Anthony Davis get nitpicked more than other stars in the NBA?
There is no denying that Anthony Davis gets nitpicked by the media, but it's hard to argue that he has it worse than other stars around the league. The main reason why he gets talked about so much is because of the team he plays for. Not only is he a member of the LA Lakers, but he is the running mate of LeBron James.
Since coming to LA, the main thing that has been discussed when it comes to AD is his availability. He's battled multiple injures over the years, and the result is him being constantly absent from the lineup. Over the past four seasons, Davis has only played in 60+ games once.
The Lakers star is not the only player to get nitpicked because of injuries. Joel Embiid received similar treatment in the early stages of his career, and so has LA Clippers star Kawhi Leonard.
Redick might feel this way about Davis, but it comes with the territory of being a star in the league. Especially when he is one of the top players on one of the league's most historic franchises.