Stephen A. Smith Shares What Concerns Him About Anthony Davis

It's no question that Anthony Davis is one of the best players in the league when he's healthy. Unfortunately, he has had his fair share of injuries over the last few years, and it has put a damper on his ability to play at the highest level possible. His injury status ultimately hurt the Lakers in the playoffs last year, and fans are hoping for him to bounce back in 2021 and 2022.

With that in mind, Russell Westbrook stated that his job this season would be to help Davis stay motivated all the way throughout the season. These comments sort of came as a shock, because one would think that Davis doesn't require any sort of extra or exterior motivation. Stephen A. Smith saw these comments and opened up about it on First Take as he expressed some concerns regarding the Lakers big man.

"You won the title, what were you doing in the offseason?" Smith asked. "At moments like this, as critical of LeBron James we can be from time to time, we need to take a step back and pay homage. This is why he's on the Mount Rushmore. To the LeBron's to the Kobes to the MJs or whatever. They're the marquee. They're the headline. And there is an innate and internal responsibility that they feel to answer the call. So it's not just about my ability. It's about making sure I'm in shape."

Smith continued, stating that he doesn't understand why Davis won't embody this mentality, especially when you consider how he plays with a guy like LeBron. Smith firmly believes this is a concerning trend that the Lakers need to keep tabs on.

I have an issue with some of the things I’ve heard about Anthony Davis' off-season conditioning. pic.twitter.com/CWlwJ81us7

— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) September 30, 2021