Often Being Called a “Rollercoaster”, Anthony Davis Claps Back at Critics With an “I Don’t Give a F—Ness” Attitude

Anthony Davis caught a lot of flak for delivering underwhelming performances, with critics questioning his abilities. However, the 8-time NBA All-Star knows how to silence the naysayers. With a $500k per player prize pool on the line, AD knew what he had to do at the in-season tournament finals. The Los Angeles Lakers took care of business in Las Vegas, dominating the Indiana Pacers with a 123-109 win, thanks in part to AD’s explosion. Davis mustered up a colossal performance, scoring a season-high 41 points, 20 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 blocks. This outburst was enough to remind people of his immense potential, which they had questioned early in the season.

However, after 12 seasons in the league, if there is something Davis has learned, it is that people are going to talk irrespective of what you do. So how does he deal with it? He doesn’t.

AD claps back at the critics

While it is true that AD has been inconsistent in his scoring, it is unjustified to ignore the impact he has on the other end of the court. But that does not stop the criticism. However, what helps him tune out the noise is his teammates’ unabating faith in him and his skills. This has helped him become more resilient. In a post-game interview with ESPN, AD said, “The ‘I-don’t-give-a-f—ness?’ Yes. I have. As long as my team is winning and I’m with my guys in the locker room, that’s all I care about. Anybody else’s opinions don’t matter to me. I genuinely mean that. I don’t care.”

Read More: Is Anthony Davis the Greatest Teammate Lebron James Has Ever Had?

More than anything, it’s LeBron James‘ unwavering confidence in him that has helped Davis develop a thicker skin. The Akron Hammer has been his staunchest advocate, dubbing AD the “face of the franchise” and continuously putting him in positions to succeed. Speaking of the performance, the Brow said, “He [LeBron James] just knows me. … I just had that look tonight and he said, ‘I’m going to follow your lead.’ And he was able to, and the team was able to allow me be the guy and just feed off of it.”

Anthony Davis slammed for his “rollercoaster” performance

AD’s inconsistent performances had received league-wide criticism, with people urging him to go back to his championship form. The situation had gotten so dire that analysts had even started predicting a trade for him. One such veteran analyst who has been persistently calling out AD for his lackluster performances is Stephen A. Smith.

Despite Davis contributing 16 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists to help the Lakers dispatch the New Orleans Pelicans in the tourney semi-final, he failed to impress SAS. “You got to show up on a night in night out basis. You can’t be a roller coaster,” remarked Smith.

Do you agree with Stephen A. Smith’s remarks about Anthony Davis? Let us know in the comments!

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