Stephen A. Smith: ‘I’d Take Anthony Davis Over Luka Doncic’

The Los Angeles Lakers put together a disappointing 2021-22 season that ended without even qualifying for the play-in tournament. While Russell Westbrook's first season with the team displayed an awkward fit, Anthony Davis playing in just 40 games was deflating.

The continued hope for the Lakers is that LeBron James and Davis remain the core and can stay healthy. However, there's been increased debate about whether Davis is impactful enough to raise a team's floor to that extent.

When debating whether Davis is a top-seven player in the NBA, Stephen A. Smith stated he'd take Davis (when healthy) over superstars like Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Jayson Tatum, and Jimmy Butler.

“I’d take Anthony Davis over Luka. I’d take Anthony Davis over Jokic. Yes, I would. And let me go a step further."

.@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

J.J. Redick countered Smith's argument by asking how Davis lands in the top-seven despite being a "Robin" while players behind him are "Batman" on their respective teams.

An important issue for Davis hasn't just been an inability to stay healthy. He remains an efficient finisher in the paint, but his continued desire to play the four despite regressing into being a genuinely bad catch-and-shoot threat has been a negative factor for the Lakers.

When Davis plays the five, he's a highly efficient play finisher that can anchor the defense on the other end. He has the quickness and length to disrupt dynamic shot creators out in space after switching, too. Where there are limitations to his impact is in his lack

Davis has yet to shoot 35-percent from 3-point range within a single season in his career. His execution has regressed from the 33.0 percent clip he shot in 2019-20. It dropped to 26.0 percent in 2020-21 and fell further to 18.6 percent last season.

It does sound as though Davis will play the five regularly under new coach Darvin Ham. However, it's still difficult to value his impact over elite creators that are the top option of their team's offense.

You can follow Grant Afseth on Twitter at @GrantAfseth

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