Anthony Davis was recently praised by Stephen A. Smith.

Anthony Davis and his LA Lakers haven't been very successful in the last two years. They won an NBA championship back in 2020, which was their peak. Ever since then, they just haven't been able to stay healthy or victorious.

In 2021, the Lakers were eliminated in the first round by the Phoenix Suns. In 2022, they were even worse as they failed to reach the playoffs, winning only 33 games.

LeBron James did all he could, being one of the top scorers in the entire league, but that just wasn't enough. Davis dealt with injury problems and had to miss 42 games due to them, which turned out to be fatal for the Lakers.

There is no doubt that he is still a great player, but he has to step on the court to show it.

Anthony Davis is one of the best players in the NBA

Despite appearing in only 40 games last season, Davis averaged 23.2 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. He was also very efficient, shooting 53.2% from the field.

Unfortunately, the big man missed more than half of the season, and he just couldn't help the Lakers win more games.

Stephen A. Smith recently spoke about the Lakers forward, praising his skills and emphasizing his importance to the team. Smith even said that he'd take Davis over some of the best NBA players right now, stating:

“I’d take Anthony Davis over Luka. I’d take Anthony Davis over Jokic. Yes, I would. ... As much love and respect and reverence as I have for Jimmy Butler and Jayson Tatum, and how big time I believe both of them are, I'd take a healthy Anthony Davis over them, too.”

The NBA analyst even believes that LeBron James wouldn't have won the title without Davis. He talked about Davis' defense, which is definitely special, stating:

"LeBron James doesn't win a title without Anthony Davis."

When JJ Redick asked Smith if he would put "Robin" in the top 7, this is what he said:

"If he was on Boston, would he be Robin? If he was on Miami, would he be Robin?"

It would definitely be interesting to see how good the big man would be with Jimmy Butler or Jayson Tatum. However, it most likely won't happen anytime soon.

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Anthony Davis is amazing when healthy

Stephen A. Smith clarified that he would pick Davis over the other NBA stars only when he is healthy. Smith realizes that Davis hasn't been available in the past few years, and that is what lowers his value. He said:

"I'd pick every single player over every single player over Anthony Davis right now, that you mentioned, strictly because of the unreliability.

"The fact that they are healthy. ... Every single player that JJ Redick has mentioned is more reliable than Davis because Davis is hurt too much."

There is no doubt that the Lakers will have to get much more from the eight-time All-Star if they want to have a successful season. He's definitely a huge part of the team and is only 29, but playing 40 games in a season just isn't enough.