Getty Anthony Davis guarded by Russell Westbrook.
We’ve heard a lot about Anthony Davis’ involvement in the trade for Russell Westbrook but the Los Angeles Lakers big man has yet to make a public statement about the deal since it happened. Davis has stayed silent and hasn’t even posted about it on social media. He’s been enjoying his offseason so the media hasn’t had a chance to question him until now.
During the Lakers’ media day on Tuesday, Davis addressed what the superstar guard brings to the team.
“His energy, his pace,” Davis said of Westbrook. “You watch how he gets down the floor and it was kind of the same thing when we had [Rajon Rondo] a couple of years ago. We get the ball we pushing. And the same thing with Russ. You have to run because he’s running. We don’t wanna him to be the only one that’s running the floor and pushing the ball. For me, I’m very excited to just run the floor with him elite passer as we all know, elite lob passer, catching a couple of lobs with him.
“I think his energy, his motor that he always plays with and he brings in every game is something that’s gonna propel all of us to play like that for 82. Because there’s not one game where doesn’t have that energy or that motor. And we can feed off of that. If we know a guy’s gonna bring it every night … just to be honest with you every night guys are gonna … it’ll start get to you game 60, game you’re like ‘Alright I need a day.’ But when you have a guy like that’s bringing that energy and that motor, it gets you going.”
Having Westbrook on the team makes life a lot easier for Davis. He’s a dependable superstar that plays most nights and never slows down. That’ll take pressure off of Davis and allow him to stay healthier throughout the year without the Lakers having to sacrifice a lot of wins.
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Davis Expects to Play Center This Season
One of the most notable things about the Lakers trading for Westbrook has been the potential of Davis playing center. That’s where he’s been most effective for the team but he’s been honest about preferring to play at power forward. We’ve heard rumblings that he’s ready to play center but we now have confirmation. Davis confirmed that he’s planning to mostly player center this season.
“There was the expectation and that was discussed, and I expect to play center,” Davis said. “I’m not sure what’s going to happen. Me and Frank [Vogel] talked about it a couple of times and that’s the plan. Right now, nothing is set in stone but we want to see what that looks like, and I’m comfortable with that.
“Obviously, there’s times where Dwight [Howard] or [DeAndre Jordan] might get the start at center depending on games, but for the most part, I think the plan is to go with me playing center.”
With the addition of Westbrook, there’s been concern about the Lakers’ ability to space the floor. Having Davis at center makes that a lot easier as he’s a solid shooter. Though he’ll still see time at power forward, it sounds like the big man is committed to whatever the team needs him to do.
LeBron Refers to Davis as ‘Very Angry’
Davis’ first season with the Lakers was electric. He played at an extremely high level and the team wouldn’t have won a championship without him. He was widely considered a top-five player in the world after the season. Unfortunately, he could not sustain that success last season. He only averaged 21.8 points a game and only played in 36 games due to injury. It was one of his worst seasons as a pro and LeBron James believes that Davis is coming back with a vengeance.
“It’s not about proving people wrong, it’s about proving himself right. I’m looking forward to a very angry Anthony Davis,” LeBron told Spectrum SportsNet.
“It’s not about proving people wrong, it’s about proving himself right. I’m looking forward to a very angry Anthony Davis.” @KingJames previews what @Lakers fans can expect to see from @AntDavis23 this season. 👀 @RealAClifton
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Anthony Davis Sounds off on Russell Westbrook Addition for First Time