Anthony Davis’ dominance in recent times saw sports analyst Colin Cowherd retract his criticism of the LA Lakers superstar. In his recent segment of ‘The Colin Cowherd Podcast’, he called Davis the second-best big behind Denver Nuggets’ star Nikola Jokic. After calling out the former multiple times over the last couple of seasons, Cowherd made it a point to acknowledge he was in the wrong.
Speaking to Jason Timpf in the same podcast, Cowherd couldn’t believe he was seeing the version of Davis that was never seen before.
“You cannot mistake Anthony Davis in a game. Dominant defender. He’s got significantly more physical to me. I don’t know what happened. This is the AD we thought we were getting out of college, and he just wasn’t emotionally ready for it.”
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The F/C has made his mark in Team USA as well, being their defensive anchor. His aggressive rebounding, shot-blocking, and equal output on offense saw the side win contests during the USA showcase games. In the recent win against Sudan, he propped up eight points, seven rebounds, and two blocks. In the campaign opener against Serbia, Davis pitched in with seven points and eight rebounds.
Anthony Davis injury update: Center gives a positive update after tangling with Wenyen Gabriel
Anthony Davis quashed any concerns about his right ankle after he appeared to get injured during Team USA’s blowout 103-86 win over South Sudan. Speaking to the media after the win, the center said he was at “100 percent” after he was caught up in a tangle with Wenyen Gabriel, his former Lakers teammate.
Davis gave the team and the NBA world a scare when he grabbed his right ankle in the second quarter after his contact with Gabriel. But he managed to log 19 minutes of action that saw him record eight points, seven rebounds, three assists, one steal, and two solid blocks.
On the NBA front, the Lakers have stood pat at free agency after casting the net for a couple of big names. With the team likely to field the same unit they did over the last couple of seasons, Anthony Davis and LeBron James’ health becomes all the more crucial. Both stars have played considerable minutes in all of the Olympics prep games and the event, so they will be under some wear and tear before the start of training camp for the next NBA season. Only time will tell if Davis can remain injury-free for the next season.