Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis. Jonathan Hui-USA TODAY Sports

Watch: Stephen A. Smith issues public challenge to Lakers' Anthony Davis

By Jeff Smith | Last updated 10/21/23

ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith has no shortage of opinions on the NBA and various players, but one name who's been a popular topic of conversation for him is Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis. But ahead of the 2023-24 NBA season, Smith is calling on the 30-year-old big man while essentially telling him to prove he's a legitimate superstar.

The segment came on ESPN's "First Take" and Smith stated that in order for the Lakers to beat the Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns, they need Davis at a superstar level.

Stephen A Smith has questions about Anthony Davis

"Is Anthony Davis going to be a Superstar or is he gonna be what i call "Six Flags". He shows up one game drops 40, the next game he's missing in action..."

[via @FirstTake] pic.twitter.com/S91LDYoJAO
— BASKETBALL ON (@BasketballOnX) October 20, 2023

While Smith was blunt on the topic, he did state that if Davis is a superstar on a "consistent basis," the Lakers will "at the very least" be back in the Western Conference Finals this season.

Although Smith isn't wrong about the fact that the Lakers are a much more dangerous team when Davis is playing at an elite level, he was exceptional from a statistical standpoint during the Western Conference Finals against the Nuggets. The Lakers simply didn't have the firepower to keep up with Denver in that series, but Davis averaged 26.8 points, 14.0 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game. He had only one "down" game, in Game 2 when he shot 26.7 percent from the field, and he shot better than 60 percent in two of the other three games.

But Davis' inability to stay on the court during the regular season is still noteworthy. After playing 62 games in his first season with the Lakers in 2019-20, he managed just 36 and 40 games over the following two seasons, and then played in 56 total regular-season games last year.

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