Getty Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis
Anthony Davis held his introductory press conference with the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday afternoon, and the room appeared crowded with reporters. But one name who, not surprisingly was in attendance, was Davis’ star teammate in LeBron James.
As ESPN’s Dave McMenamin showed, LeBron was there for Davis’ press conference but made sure he was hanging out on the side. In turn, the other member of the Lakers’ superstar duo made sure he didn’t take any attention away from Davis on his big day.
LeBron is present and off to the side for AD’s presser.
Davis and James are one of the best duos in the entire NBA, although they have plenty of rivalry for that label after multiple offseason trades. The new-look Houston Rockets with James Harden and Russell Westbrook should be a lot of fun to watch also, but LeBron and Davis have the potential to be on a dominant level immediately.
The two stars also met up after the press conference, as Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times revealed.
LeBron and AD
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Anthony Davis Praises Lakers Roster
Although the Lakers missed out on landing Kawhi Leonard, it appears Davis is incredibly excited about the team’s outlook and how free agency played out. While Davis opted to waive his $4 million trade kicker, it was unfortunate the team failed to sign Leonard, but the talented big man said he was willing to help the team out however possible.
Beyond that, Davis heaped praise on the Lakers roster that’s been built over the recent weeks. Davis told reporters during his presser that he’d put the roster “up against anybody” in the league. Specifically, he cited belief that the Lakers would come out victorious in a seven-game series.
At another point during the press conference, Davis was asked about the leadership dynamic and specifically how it’d work between himself and LeBron. While he stated that the two hadn’t talked about that and it’ll happen naturally, he also pointed out that any player on the team can step up and say anything if they’re all trying to reach the same goal. Davis even cited Rajon Rondo as an “excellent leader” while talking to reporters.
Anthony Davis Admits Hoping to Play Power Forward
One of the many interesting comments which Davis made about his role and the Lakers roster was the topic of playing at power forward vs. center. The talented 26-year-old didn’t hide his interest in playing power forward over center.
“I like playing the four, I’m not even going to sugarcoat it, I like playing the four. I don’t really like playing the five. But if it comes down to it, coach and you need me to play the five, then I’ll play the five.” Davis told reporters with a laugh.
Beyond that, general manager Rob Pelinka explained that the team didn’t want to have Davis playing center full-time due to wear and tear. In turn, he cited DeMarcus Cousins and JaVale McGee on the roster to help ease the pressure off Davis needing to play center for extended periods.
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