"There are no excuses in this league" - Shaquille O'Neal refuses to cut Anthony Davis slack despite dominant stretch since the All-Star break
Anthony Davis has always been recognized as an elite power forward in the NBA when healthy. A dominant two-way player, the eight-time NBA All-Star helped LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers secure a championship as he averaged 25.0 points and 10.7 rebounds in the 2019-20 NBA Finals.
But as great and as dominant of a basketball player as Davis is, he is also quite prone to injuries that have often kept him sidelined.
Shaquille O'Neal's current stance on Anthony Davis
Shaquille O'Neal is recognized as one of the most dominant centers that has ever played in the NBA. There were times throughout his career that he would often be called the best player in the game.
Similar to Shaquille O'Neal, Anthony Davis was also recognized as the league's best player because of elite output.
This was highlighted by Shaq in an episode of "The Big Podcast," where the four-time NBA champion shed some light on how Davis is currently perceived status-wise.
Shaq still recognizes Anthony Davis as among the top 10 players in the NBA, but didn't mince words when he mentioned that he had fallen off a bit compared to his earlier level.
"See, he’s still top-10, he’s still a great player," Shaq said. "But I’m talking status wise. I remember when we were saying ‘yo he’s the best player in the league.’ No excuses in this league. Don’t matter why you fell off. You still fell off. Everything’s up to AD. Even when LeBron’s back, it’s all up to AD."
After a dominant Finals run in the 2019-20 NBA season, Davis has not reached that level of play ever since.
Davis only managed to play 36 games during the 2020-21 NBA season, averaging 21.8 PPG and 7.9 REB. During the 2021-22 campaign, he played only 40 games and averaged 23.2 PPG and 9.9 REB.
Davis missed large stretches of those seasons, all of which were due to injuries.
Anthony Davis post All-Star break
Anthony Davis has been on an impressive run for the Los Angeles Lakers since the All-Star break, averaging 26.4 PPG and 12.9 REB.
Davis' resurgent form has come at just the right time for the Lakers, as LeBron James is currently recovering from an injury. The Lakers are also making a strong push to close the regular season with either a playoff or play-in spot.
This stretch of games for Davis has shown flashes of what he is capable of doing on a regular basis if fully healthy. And even amidst all the criticism, Davis looks to prove everyone else wrong about where he is status-wise.