(Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Lakers could barely beat the Phoenix Suns.
Frank Vogel’s team arrived in Southern California without Bradley Beal or Devin Booker, yet they were up double digits entering the fourth quarter.
LeBron James had to play the entire fourth quarter to help the team get the job done.
And even though Anthony Davis finished with a nice 30-point, 12-rebound double-double, some fans and pundits criticized him again for not being able to lead the way.
That’s why former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins took to “First Take” to defend his fellow big man.
.@KendrickPerkins has a problem with anyone who has a problem with AD
“The Lakers don’t have an AD problem. … He has shown us time and time again that he’s capable of rising to the occasion and getting things done.” pic.twitter.com/tyJTdaVUbx
— First Take (@FirstTake) October 27, 2023
Perkins excused Davis for his no-show in the second half vs. the Denver Nuggets, talking about how people don’t know the toll that playing in Denver’s altitude can take on a player’s body.
Then, he talked about D’Angelo Russell not being a table-setter or a guy who’s going to make plays and give the big man easy baskets, which is why the Lakers needed LeBron on the floor in the fourth quarter.
He also said that Davis has shown over and over that he’s capable of rising to the occasion.
Perkins has some valid points, but most of them are two-way streets as well.
Davis wasn’t the only Laker playing in the altitude, yet others responded in the second half.
Also, while Russell is not the best point guard in the league, James also wasn’t setting the table in the fourth quarter – he was taking the ball to the rim and scoring.
Davis has been down more times than he’s been up since arriving in Los Angeles, at least against winning teams.
He’s entering his fifth season with the Lakers, so it’s only right that the fans hold him accountable when he underperforms.
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