Lakers star Anthony Davis called out by Stephen A. Smith for lack of conditioning

The Lakers were playing a back-to-back and didn’t have the legs to keep up with the Kings. Still, Davis did not get the benefit of the doubt.

The Los Angeles Lakers had their three-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday at the hands of the Sacramento Kings. Anthony Davis had perhaps his worst game of the season so far as the Lakers fell to 6-6. The big man finished with nine points, nine rebounds and four blocks in a 125-110 Lakers loss.

Davis looked sluggish out there at times and had little energy at some moments in the game. The Lakers were playing a back-to-back and didn’t have the legs to keep up with the Kings.

Still, Davis did not get the benefit of the doubt, at least not from Stephen A. Smith.

“We need to start paying more attention to Anthony Davis’ conditioning. We need to start calling him out for that,” Smith said on First Take Thursday morning. “Why in god’s name does Anthony Davis seem out of it? You know why? Because his a*s ain’t in shape.”

Those are strong words coming from Smith who has never been shy of expressing himself on national television. He has long said that Anthony Davis is not a viable second option for LeBron James and is part of the reason why the Lakers can’t win another championship.

LA did make a run to the Western Conference Finals last season with Davis playing a major role in that. He had 13 double-doubles as the Lakers beat the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors before being swept by the Denver Nuggets.

It’s probably fair to say Stephen A. Smith was a little too harsh on Anthony Davis, but the Lakers All-Star is no stranger to criticism. Though some of it is warranted, and perhaps Smith is allowed to clown Davis after a tough performance like that, he alone was not the reason why the Lakers lost.

https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-stephen-a-smith-calls-out-anthony-davis-conditioning