"You should be shooting NERF basketballs, you should be shooting garbage cans! " - Stephen A. Smith goes on an epic rant against Anthony Davis after his "I haven't shot a basketball since probably April 5th" comments

Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook desperately tried to keep the LA Lakers’ floundering season alive without LeBron James against the Phoenix Suns on April 5. Westbrook led the Lakers in scoring while AD had a double-double but couldn’t save their team’s failed season.

That game against the best team in the West at the time was also the last time Davis shot a basketball, as per his own words. The sensational video where AD can be heard admitting to staying away from shooting a basketball immediately received backlash from fans and analysts.

Stephen A. Smith promptly let his thoughts be known when the video came out:

“This dude shot 18% from three-point range, and you gonna tell me that after you missed the playoffs, you missed the play-in with LeBron James as your teammate and you don’t work on your shooting?"

He added:

"You should be shooting every day. You should be shooting NERF basketballs! You should be shooting garbage cans! I don’t give a damn what it is, he got to shoot something!”

Anthony Davis’ best season for the LA Lakers came in his first year when he helped LeBron James bring the team’s 18th title in 2020. It has been all downhill since that year as “The Brow” has only played a total of 76 games in two years.

When healthy enough to stay on the floor, his shooting has also regressed to the point where defenders just blatantly dared him to shoot. Part of what made AD special was his ability to hit 3-point shots with decency.

From 33.0% in his first season in Hollywood, it has now dropped to 18.0%. His inability to make outside shots only clogged up the lane more and highlighted the Lakers’ horrible spacing around LeBron James.

Laker Nation, who was expecting a motivated Anthony Davis to work on his game as early as June, will be hugely disappointed with the news. LeBron James, who’s achieved almost everything there is to accomplish in the NBA, is already hitting the gym and doing the grind.

The difference in commitment and dedication is glaring between the two superstars, and it could haunt the Lakers yet again next season.

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The LA Lakers will need a healthy and engaged Anthony Davis to contend for a playoff spot

Anthony Davis can learn a thing or two from LeBron James' dedication to his craft. [Photo: New York Post]

Karl-Anthony Towns, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Giannis Antetokounmpo are just three big men who hunted Anthony Davis this season when they played against the Lakers.

AD, who led the NBA in blocks in three separate seasons, looked subdued and disengaged. He was bullied and lacked the pride and heart that pushed LA to mortgage its future for him.

The LA Lakers are not competing for an NBA title if that is the version of Davis they will be getting next season. LA can’t fully expect LeBron James to be their best player in an 82-game year. They need the most from the eight-time All-Star to simply qualify for the postseason.

Stephen A. Smith made this clear after criticizing AD:

“Anthony Davis, when healthy, is a top seven player on the planet. I want him to know that’s how I think about him. Anthony Davis is big-time when healthy, there is no getting around how glaringly absent his perimeter shooting was this past season.”

New coach Darvin Ham has also said that having a healthy Davis is the key to the Lakers’ success next season. A healthy Davis is, unfortunately, not enough. They need him to work on his game and return to the best version of the All-Star that dominated the 2020 playoffs.