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In a world of professional basketball where one’s athleticism is seen as immortal, there is an unending adversary which is injury. The Los Angeles Lakers’ Anthony Davis, an imposing presence in the NBA, has suffered 67 injuries within a span of six years which has led to concerns over his future prospects at work and has also generated unwanted parallels with The King LeBron James. The murmurs about Davis’ ability to remain a constant, vital member of one of the strongest teams in the NBA continue as he battles an endless stream of injuries.

Stephen A. Smith’s Perspective on Anthony Davis

The post-match edition of First Take was as frank as they come on Anthony’s problem. Smith raised some concerns about how Davis was not responding appropriately to the difficulties his injuries presented.

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USA Today via Reuters

Smith compares Davis with the indestructible LeBron James pointing out the commitment, poise and physical conditioning that LeBron has maintained throughout his career to remain at the top of the industry notwithstanding the effect of time.

Smith emphasized, “we need to start paying more attention to Anthony Davis’s conditioning we need to start calling him out.” As he continued to draw comparisons with James, “when we look at LeBron James what we see is a dude that potentially for the time is chipping away at but that’s it we don’t see anything in his behavior his mannerisms his commitment etc…”

Stephen A. noted that in his 21st year of being in the league, LeBron James still has the level of fitness and commitment but Anthony Davis shows the lack of it. The main criticism was that Davis had failed to meet the challenge of the oldest player in the league LeBron James and that he was still a teenager.

Read More: Lakers Legend Slaps $186,000,000 Anthony Davis With Two Massive Expectations as LeBron James’ Lakers Target Championship

Unfortunately, even though Anthony Davis has proved to be skilled and a talented player, he has an injury that affects his left hip.

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The Struggle Continues for Anthony Davis

Just last week, when the Lakers’ big man faced the Sacramento Kings, he candidly admitted that it was tight on his left hip. Davis, who has been managing the hip injury since last week, had an uphill battle against the Kings. However, their luck ran out as they lost to the Lakers who had won three consecutive matches against them with Davis contributing five turnovers.

Such overall performance comprising 23 team turnovers that resulted in 30 points loss to the Kings signified the difficulties encountered by the Lakers during the unfortunate day. The light on Anthony Davis’s health grows as he wades through a world of injuries.

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Stephen A. Smith’s comments are another thing that adds some pressure on him. It is not just about overcoming his injuries this time; it is also about whether he is willing to meet those expectations that come with being this good. Davis’ odyssey encompasses not only his quest to regain his peak form but also silencing the critics in the NBA storyline.