ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith still considers Anthony Davis, when healthy, to be among the top players in the league, though good health has eluded Davis for much of the past two seasons.
Smith said on “First Take” that he considers a healthy Davis to be better than both Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic.
.@stephenasmith defends his argument that AD is a top-7 player in the NBA when he’s healthy.
“I’d take Anthony Davis over Luka. I’d take Anthony Davis over Jokic. Yes I would.” pic.twitter.com/jPAlTagZlf
— First Take (@FirstTake) June 14, 2022
During Davis’ first season with the Lakers, the team endured an interrupted season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Davis only missed a few games all season, and the Lakers captured their first NBA title in a decade.
That success by the Lakers continued during the early stages of the 2020-21 season. However, Davis got hurt. The Lakers began to struggle and eventually exited the postseason in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
The 2021-22 campaign for the Lakers had plenty of other concerns attached to it, including additional injuries to Davis, which led to the Lakers missing the playoffs altogether.
Doncic and Jokic are in an elite category of NBA players, with Jokic winning the league’s Most Valuable Player award in each of the last two seasons.
In the case of Doncic, he’s yet to win the award. However, it seems likely that he’ll be a regular contender for the accolade over the remainder of his career.
Smith is known for his loud and brash commentary on any number of sports topics. Debates such as this one are standard for his show.
Yet, Lakers fans have only gotten one season of good health from Davis and won a championship during that year. If the Lakers experience a resurgence next season with Davis regularly on the court, Smith’s recognition may look accurate.
