Vince Carter holds Anthony Davis responsible for Lakers’ tragic season start: "You're expecting LeBron to save the day again"

LeBron James and Anthony Davis have played in all four games that the LA Lakers have lost this season. They are winless amid a brutal stretch of their schedule, which could see them go 0-10 to start the 2022-23 campaign.

“King James” absorbed a ton of flak for his subpar performance in the Lakers’ 110-99 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday. AD, however, has largely received a pass, not just for this game but for the season.

Vince Carter, on ESPN’s "Get Up," didn't let Davis off the hook for the Lakers’ nightmarish start to the season:

"I think it falls in AD's lap more so than LeBron. ... You're expecting LeBron to save the day again, which he can do. But if he's trying to save the day now, what LeBron will you get at the end of the year?... Will he break down for you at the end of the year if you’re trying to make a push?”

The former NBA player emphasized that Davis’ aggression was clearly missing in the loss to the Nuggets. AD was 0-for-1 from the free-throw line, which suggested that he wasn’t as forceful inside the paint as needed. Davis still finished with 22 points, 14 rebounds, five assists and two blocks.

Sixteen of AD’s 22 points came in the first half when the game ended at tied 54 all. Starting in the third quarter when the Nuggets launched a 29-11 run, prime Anthony Davis was nowhere to be found.

On the defensive end, he was also no match for two-time MVP Nikola Jokic. The Serbian ran rings around Davis to finish with 31 points, 13 rebounds, nine assists and four steals. Denver was +28 in “The Joker’s” 35 minutes on the court.

Anthony Davis' lack of aggression was evident in Nikola Jokic's game. Jokic went to the free-throw line seven times and made all of his attempts.

It’s so jarring how far Davis has fallen off the cliff that Jokic is now firmly entrenched. About five or six years ago, most basketball pundits expected the former Kentucky star to be the NBA’s best. Instead, he’s hardly been the player he once was.

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Anthony Davis has not been the same since the bubble tournament

Anthony Davis wasn't on Nikola Jokic's level on Wednesday night.

In 2020, the last time Anthony Davis played more than 60 games, ESPN ranked him as the second-best player in the NBA behind LeBron James. Together, they were nearly unstoppable on their way to the championship.

Before reaching the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat, the LA Lakers dispatched the Denver Nuggets in just five games. Most basketball experts described Davis’ performance against Nikola Jokic in 2020 as overwhelming.

AD averaged a team-high 31.2 points on 54.3% shooting in the 2020 Western Conference finals against the Denver Nuggets. Jokic averaged 21.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, five assists and two steals. Still, many thought he was destroyed by Davis in the series.

Two years later, this is what Shannon Sharpe had to say about that matchup:

“I watched Anthony Davis take this man [Jokic] apart in 2020. Anthony Davis couldn’t see this man with a Hubble telescope now. … They thought AD could slow him down. No, he can’t. Nobody can do anything one-on-one with this man anymore.”

Anthony Davis is only 29 years old and supposedly at his peak. Sharpe also spoke about Davis' lack of fitness:

“Every other play AD grabbing something. It’s his back, his neck, his knee, his ankle, his stomach, it’s something every other play.”

Maybe a healthy Davis can get back into 2020 form. But then again, he’s been an injury magnet, and his best may already be a thing of the past.