Basketball Hall of Famer and Emmy-winning TNT analyst Charles Barkley ripped the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night, Dec. 7. Specifically Anthony Davis. Barkley noted the Lakers are blaming everyone from Russell Westbrook to Frank Vogel, when the problem as he sees it is Anthony Davis.
“You’re 27 years old, you’re supposed to be in your prime,” Barkley said, referring to Davis. “You’re supposed to be one of the five best players in the world, up there with Giannis, Kevin Durant and those guys. You’re not holding up your end of the bargain.”
"Anthony Davis, you know I like you as a person, but you ain't doing what you're supposed to do."
Chuck sounds off on the Lakers' struggles this season 🗣 pic.twitter.com/HM9zReqeS5
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) December 8, 2021
Chuck isn’t wrong. The Lakers are 13-12 after Tuesday night’s win over the Boston Celtics. They’ve been exactly what their record is, a slightly above .500 team. Yes, they’ve had to deal with injuries to LeBron James and Talen Horton-Tucker. Kendrick Nunn and Trevor Ariza have yet to even suit up this season.
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But a team with Davis and Russell Westbrook should be better.
Davis was the player LeBron wanted on the Lakers. The player he identified that would help extend his prime and help him win more titles. Thay do have the one, but Davis could give more.
So far this season he has the worst estimated plus-minus (+3.0) of his career. His eFG% and TS% are also among the worst of his career. At 27 these should be his best numbers of his career.
Barkley also said Lakers head coach Frank Vogel shouldn’t be blamed for the team’s poor play. Vogel is tinkering with different lineups and trying to develop an identity with a team that is different than the one that won an NBA championship.
The Lakers don’t appear to be in any rush to move on from Vogel, although being the head man of the NBA’s premier franchise in that market does bring pressure and scrutiny.
Team governor Jeanie Buss said she is not ready to make any judgment on the situation.
“Until we’re 100% healthy, I don’t think you can really make any judgment,” Buss told NBA.com. “We’re as connected as any organization can be. I really don’t know what you’re looking for me to say. I would say until we’re 100 percent healthy, I won’t make any judgments about anything.”
LeBron offered his support of Vogel, putting the onus on the players.
“I think criticism comes with the job, you know?” James said. “Frank is a strong-minded guy. He has a great coaching staff. And we as his players have to do a better job of going out and producing on the floor. We’re a team and an organization that don’t mind some adversity, that don’t mind people saying things about us, obviously, because it comes with the territory.”
FS1 talking head and LeBron fan Nick Wright believes everyone needs to be better, including Vogel.
"I'm not blaming all, or even a majority, of the Lakers issues on Frank Vogel. LeBron's comments on Vogel were fair … bc Vogel should feel pressure. AD needs to be better, LeBron needs to be more available & Vogel needs to be smarter. All of that's fair to me." — @getnickwright pic.twitter.com/BZyQUy4330
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) December 8, 2021
The Lakers are five games into the second quarter of the NBA season. These next 15 games, assuming everyone remains healthy, will start to tell us something. Five of the next 15 games are against solid playoff teams. Two games against the Memphis Grizzlies and a game each against the Chicago Bulls, Phoenix Suns and Brooklyn Nets.
If they beat up on the remaining 10 opponents and go 9-1 or even 8-2 and manage to come away 3-2 from the games against the aforementioned playoff teams, they’ll be right back in the thick of things.
For that to happen Anthony Davis will have to raise his level of play.
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