Shannon Sharpe doubts Anthony Davis ‘winning the West’ in absence of LeBron James: “No team is a threat with just one superstar”
Anthony Davis, when healthy, has put up MVP-caliber numbers this season. Early in the year, despite playing through obvious pain in his back, Davis put on a showcase. Before missing the end of December and the beginning of January, Davis put up 44 points on Dec. 2 and 55 on Dec. 4.
On both ends of the floor, Davis was a force to be reckoned with as he alternated between playing and missing time. But then, as the team seemed to be hitting its stride with the acquisitions of Rui Hachimura and D'Angelo Russell, LeBron James went down with an injury.
With James missing time and Russell and Davis fighting through their own injuries, many began to count the Lakers out. With an uphill battle ahead of them to secure a guaranteed spot in the playoffs, it's no secret the team needs wins.
Tuesday night's 112-103 win over the Memphis Grizzlies moved the Lakers (32-34) one step closer to the playoffs. After the game, Anthony Davis talked about his commitment to the team winning the West and making a run at the NBA Finals. The following morning, Shannon Sharpe reacted:
"No team is a threat with just one superstar. What we see in the NBA currently are teams are trying to get at least two. Some teams are trying to get three. We don't know if and when LeBron is coming back. What if during the evaluation, it's not gotten any better? Is LeBron coming back (then)? No.
"If you tell me LeBron is coming back and he's 85-90% and Anthony Davis is going to play like this, they'll come out of the West. It will be them and Phoenix in the Western Conference finals."
Sharpe and Skip Bayless go back and forth in the video above, with Sharpe's comments kicking off the video and carrying through the first three minutes.
Anthony Davis' "Wilt Chamberlain-like" game against Memphis
With D'Angelo Russell and LeBron James sidelined on Tuesday, Anthony Davis put up some legendary numbers. In 35 minutes, Davis scored a whopping 30 points and hauled down 22 rebounds. In addition, he led the team in blocks with two while shooting 11-for-17.
For the Lakers, the stat line was a dominant, much-needed one. While Dennis Schroder, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura all put up 17 points, it was Davis who led the team on both ends. As Shannon Sharpe pointed out, Davis is able to haul down boards on the defensive end and push the break.
Coach Darvin Ham praised Davis' play in the absence of both James and Russell. He said Davis was playing like Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain:
“Wilt. That’s my nickname for him: Wilt Davis.”
As the LA Lakers and Wilt Davis look to make a postseason run, it will be interesting to see how injuries play into the remainder of their season.
Below you can see highlights from the win.