“Anthony Davis, you know I like you as a person, but you ain’t doing what you’re supposed to do.” There was a time when Charles Barkley could not criticize Anthony Davis enough for lacking when it matters to the Lakers. It seems, however, Chuck is a lot more than hopeful with Mavericks adding Brow to their roster for Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers.

“OKC. They’re my favorite to win this thing. But man, the Dallas Mavericks, they might have just became the second best team in the Western Conference…” Barkley said. He admitted that the Mavs might still need more help from further trade to strengthen their bench. “The Memphis Grizzlies, I like their team, but man, Dallas, this is going to be a very fun thing to watch,” Barkley added.

He may say that now, but Barkley has always had a fluctuating opinion of Anthony Davis. His frustration hit a peak during the Lakers 107-119 loss against the Denver Nuggets in October 2023. AD had come out strong, dropping 17 points in the first half. Lakers fans were probably feeling good about it. And then… nothing. He went scoreless in the second half, leaving Barkley (and pretty much everyone else) in disbelief.

“I said when he was in New Orleans this guy is going to be the best basketball player in the world in the next five years. He’s not even mentioned anymore when you talk about the best players in the game,” Barkley said. But that was not it from the former Philadelphia 76ers star. “You wonder when the light is going to kick on… You can’t go a whole half and not score.”

And let’s not forget 2021, when Chuck outright blamed Anthony Davis for the Lakers’ struggles, sparing Russell Westbrook and then-head coach Frank Vogel. “Russ is learning. Frank Vogel is a terrific coach… Listen, Anthony Davis, you’ve got to play better. I said on the first night: if the Lakers are gonna be any good, it was all gonna be on you.”

But to be fair, Barkley hasn’t always been anti-AD. In April last year, he defended him by saying, “Anthony Davis is not the reason Lakers suck… [It’s] the rest of them [team].” It’s clear the TNT analyst has nothing against AD. His opinion that the Mavericks might be the second-best team in the league is based on Davis’ recent performance.

Before leaving the game early on against the Sixers because of an abdominal strain, he was averaging 32.8 points, 15 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game in his previous four games. However, Charles Barkley seems hopeful for the Lakers with the team recruiting Luka Doncic. Although he has one niggling concern about the team dynamic in Los Angeles.

Charles Barkley worries things might not be smooth sailing between Luka Doncic and LeBron James

Doncic and Bron on the same team? Sounds like a dream duo, right? Well, not everyone is convinced it’ll be smooth sailing—especially not Charles Barkley. During a recent appearance on NBA TV, Chuck raised a valid concern: How will two ball-dominant superstars make it work?

“Luka does not move without the ball, LeBron does not move without the ball,” Barkley pointed out. “There’s going to be some serious growing pains when those two play together.” And he’s got a point. Both guys thrive when they’re in control, so figuring out how to share the offense won’t be easy.

And while fans have been bashing Mavericks, Barkley defended the franchise’s decision to trade the 5x All-Star. He argued that if anyone knows Doncic’s game inside and out, it’s the Mavs. “All of us talking heads… They must know something we don’t know,” he said.

There’s no doubt that Charles Barkley has strong points in his arguments for both Doncic and Anthony Davis. But will these predictions come true? Well, fans might not have to wait much longer to find it out.