Nick Young says LeBron James is shooting too much: ‘Let [Anthony Davis] be MVP’

Despite their best efforts, LeBron James and Anthony Davis have been unable to help the Los Angeles Lakers string together many wins so far in the 2022-23 season.

Los Angeles currently sports a 2-8 record and sits in 14th place in the Western Conference.

While Davis has improved marginally from last season, James has struggled a bit in the efficiency department. Although the four-time MVP is averaging 24.3 points, 8.9 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game, he’s only knocking down 44.7 percent of shots from the field and 21.0 percent of his shots from downtown.

Some believe that James needs to take a step back due to his age, and it seems like former Lakers guard Nick Young is among that group of people.

“I think he need to not try to average 30,” Young said during a recent appearance on Gilbert Arenas’ podcast. “… He’s shooting too much. He’s shooting five, 10 threes a game. When LeBron turn into a 3-point shooter? I know he can’t go to the hole like he used to.”

After hearing some passionate words from Arenas, Young offered an interesting idea.

“Let A.D. be MVP,” Young said.

It’s certainly not the worst idea, as Davis is currently averaging 23.2 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.6 steals and 2.0 blocks per game this season. He’s also knocking down 53.8 percent of his shots from the field and 28.6 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc.

With James seemingly regressing a bit this season due to being 37 years old, it might be time for Davis to step up and be the leader of the Lakers. Many have urged the University of Kentucky product to take charge of the squad, and before the regular season began, he mentioned that he was ready to become the team’s No. 1 option on offense.

However, James still seems to be L.A.’s first option on offense. He’s taking 21.9 shots per game while Davis is attempting just 17.3 shots per contest.

Maybe the Lakers would see better results if those averages were flipped. After all, Davis has been more efficient than James this season.

The only issue with relying on the big man is his injury history. He hasn’t played in more than 62 regular season games since the 2017-18 campaign, when he was still with the New Orleans Pelicans.

Nevertheless, the 29-year-old does deserve some props as he’s managed to stay fit and healthy so far this season, appearing in nine of the Lakers’ 10 games.

Davis, James and the Lakers will get a chance to get things back on track on Wednesday by taking on the Los Angeles Clippers in an intracity matchup.