Lakers’ Austin Reaves Pushes Back On Harsh Criticism Of Anthony Davis

Anthony Davis had a monster performance in the 121-115 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, but some people still throw an unhealthy dose of criticism at him. Davis is one of the better players in the NBA and his numbers on November 25 were wild.

The Los Angeles Lakers big man helped his team celebrate a good win, delivering 32 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, three blocks, and two steals. It was a great night for Davis as he scored 23 of his points, 10 of his rebounds and two of his blocks in the second half of the night.

Lakers young star Austin Reaves had something to say about Davis’ performance and this was more like a warning for doubters.

“Everybody’s quick to murder AD when he has a off night,” said Reaves on November 25. “I think if you go back and look at you know his off nights, in some way he’s affecting the game more than what the average human is picking up on.

“They go pick up [stats] and look and see how many points he had and go straight to their phone and start tweeting stuff and bashing him for not having 25 or 30. But he affects the game in so many ways that on his bad nights, he’s still very productive for us.”

Davis is fueled by criticism

The Lakers front office traded a big chunk of the roster to get Davis. It was a good move as the big man helped the franchise win a title inside the Orlando bubble. Yes, he did miss time due to injuries, but his presence has helped the Lakers win a lot of games in the last few seasons.

Davis’ teammates have great words for him and respect his dominance. LeBron James and other players expect a lot from him and look forward to his aggressive treatment on the offensive side of the ball. Davis has done an incredible job on both ends of the ball.

Head coach Darvin Ham will need to see more of these crazy stats later in the season. LA sure has a chance to make the NBA Finals this season.

BLOCKED BY AD ‼️

Anthony Davis has 5 blocks in the 1Q ⛔️

Watch Lakers/Suns LIVE on NBA TV: https://t.co/WfH3FJ6tZs pic.twitter.com/6qJyDQ26aY

— NBA (@NBA) October 20, 2023

“Anytime he plays like this I think we’ll be pretty tough to beat,” Reaves said. “He was a monster on both ends as usual, and we have the utmost confidence in AD.”