Anthony Davis has come a long way since being a rookie who was predominantly a shot blocker. He has established himself as one of the best big men the NBA has. His expanded array of skills has also brought out some of the best plays for Team USA during the Paris Olympics 2024. Prompting longtime analyst Colin Cowherd to rethink his past criticism.
The renowned analyst took to his podcast, The Colin Cowherd Podcast hosted by The Volume, to talk about Team USA’s performances against South Sudan. While discussing, Cowherd had this to say:
I was so anti-AD when we started doing this podcast together. I went like two years, I’m like, he’s a dad bod, he doesn’t workout, he’s out of shape, he never plays hurt. Take Jokic out, I’m not sure there’s a big I’d take over him, including Giannis. 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.
Colin Cowherd on The Colin Cowherd Podcast
Suggesting that Colin Cowherd is now officially a fan of the Los Angeles Lakers superstar. His game has improved enough to turn criticism to praise.
Cowherd’s stance does warrant some merit as not long ago, many analysts including himself used to call out Davis for his lack of a desire to play. Which led to some wild takes from many whenever they saw him leaving a game after any kind of contact.
But over the past year with the Los Angeles Lakers, Davis turned into an All-NBA force again. But this time, it was his willingness to take on different assignments that forced analysts such as Cowherd to sit up and take notice. Now his performances with Team USA are reinforcing that notion.
Anthony Davis’ ‘libero’ role paying dividends for Team USA
Coming into the Paris Olympics 2024, head coach Steve Kerr was insistent that Joel Embiid would be the starter. That meant, the 3-time All-Defensive first teamer had to settle for a role on the bench. But what Kerr asked him to do has brought out a different level of success for Team USA.
When Anthony Davis comes on to the floor, he is surrounded by other superstars who can score at an All-NBA level. Therefore, he does not need to focus on that. Rather, he is actively performing as the best defender on the floor. With his long wingspan, not only is he manning the paint, but also the midrange. Therefore, effectively reducing teams to settle for long threes.
To top it all, whenever he grabs a rebound and is in a position to score, he does. This volleyball esque ‘libero’ role has helped Team USA continue on their rampage to the top of the leaderboard in the men’s division. No wonder Colin Cowherd is enjoying what he is seeing from the Los Angeles Lakers big man.
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