Former Boston Celtics star Paul Pierce was pretty blunt about his assessment of the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2023-24 NBA season, thus far. For Pierce, the Lakers have everything they need to succeed but are being held back by the inconsistent play of big man Anthony Davis (h/t SHOWTIME Basketball).

Paul Pierce gets real about Lakers' Anthony Davis

anthony davis lakers

“This is the reality of it, and I'm gonna keep it 100. And we said it this year. We said it last year. This team is only as good as Anthony Davis. They don't need nothing. They need Anthony Davis to be in the MVP talks if the Lakers is going to be anything. And that's as simple as I can put it,” Pierce said.

Davis is undoubtedly one of the best players in the league, someone who's capable of putting on a show night in and night out, but the Lakers star has not always looked great on the floor this season notwithstanding the solid numbers he's generating.

“If he's out there giving you 28 and 15 on a consistent basis, leading one of the top shot blockers in the league doing all this, the Lakers is going to have a better record and they are going to be in the conversation of contending,” Pierce added. “But if he's not consistently giving you that, then what more excuses are we going to give them? They don't need no more. They need him to be more.”

On the season, Davis is averaging 22.0 points, 11.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 0.9 steals, and 3.3 blocks per game while posting a 60.3 true shooting percentage. His block rate has gone up from last season, but his rebound, free-throw, and turnover rates are all worse.

Nevertheless, the Lakers have all the confidence in the world in Davis, who just signed a three-year extension with Los Angeles last August.