Although Anthony Davis has been an incredible big man for many years now and just completed arguably the best season of his life, he still has many critics.
People in the national media continue to take shots at him and accuse him of being lazy, soft and unmotivated. Never mind the fact that he averaged 24.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.3 blocked shots a game while improving his free throw and 3-point accuracy and playing in a career-high 76 games this past season.
Davis has also looked good with Team USA so far this summer as it looks to capture a fifth straight Olympic gold medal.
It has led Colin Cowherd to admit on his podcast that he has drastically changed his stance on the big man.
“I was so anti-A,D. when we started doing this podcast together,” Cowherd said to Jason Timpf. “… I’m like, ‘It’s a dad bod, he doesn’t work out, he’s out of shape, he never plays hurt.'”
In fact, Cowherd said he considers Davis arguably the NBA’s second-best big man, second only to Nikola Jokić.
“Take Jokic out — I’m not sure there’s a big guy I’d take over him, including Giannis [Antetokounmpo]. You cannot mistake Anthony Davis in a game. (He’s a) dominant defender. He’s gotten significantly more physical to me. I don’t know what happened.
“This is the A.D. we thought we were getting out of college, and he just wasn’t emotionally ready for it.”
"Take Jokic out. I'm not sure there's a big I'd take over him."
—@ColinCowherd tells @_JasonLT why he's come full circle on Anthony Davis pic.twitter.com/qOp8XXLmpI
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) August 1, 2024
If nothing else, the Olympics and the exhibition games preceding it have been a reminder to Lakers fans that Davis is a beast, and that he still has a very spry fellow superstar in LeBron James.
Just imagine the damage they could do this coming season if the Lakers could somehow upgrade the roster around them.