LeBron James is the reason Anthony Davis is facing increased criticism

LeBron James, in the opinion of former NBA big man DeMarcus Cousins, is the cause of Anthony Davis’ growing backlash.

Playing with LeBron has a lot of benefits, particularly for a legendary team like the Lakers.

However, Cousins feels that you expose yourself to a lot more criticism than normal when you play with a legend like LeBron James.

With AD, it is what has transpired since the two established their collaboration in 2019.

According to Cousins, “I think it comes with the environment” on Run It Back. Being teammates with one of the greatest players of all time, LeBron James, is undoubtedly on the Mount Rushmore of athletes. When things go wrong, we all know that a list of guys will get blamed before the team’s best player—or one of the greatest players of all time—ever comes into play. That just applies to the surroundings. In addition, he is a Lakers player. Their fan base is quite strong.

Cousins went on, “You can average 25 and 12 and it still not be enough.” That is insufficient. No matter the time of year or the season, it’s championship or bust, according to Cousins. That’s just part of the deal when you play with LeBron James; being a Laker and being a teammate with him both guarantee excellence. Thus, I believe it is a major factor in the criticism Davis faces.

Although Davis’ inability to maintain health has historically been one of his primary weaknesses, he has participated in 65 of the Lakers’ 69 games in 2023–2024.

In addition, he has been among the NBA’s greatest defenders. He is third in the league for rebounding (12.3) and sixth in the league for blocks (2.4) per game.

However, the criticism of AD will persist as long as the Lakers keep giving up easy wins and are hovering near the Play-In zone with a 37-32 record and a.536 winning percentage.