Not so long ago, Anthony Davis was considered one of the best, most dominant players in the game. Year after year, he led subpar New Orleans Pelicans teams to playoff contention, regardless of his supporting cast.
However, he’s been more of a second sword since joining the Los Angeles Lakers. He was supposed to carry the torch and become the go-to guy, but constant injuries and inconsistent play have plagued his tenure in Los Angeles.
So, now that he’s finally stepping up and leading the team with LeBron James out with an injury, NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal has urged him to stay aggressive and be their primary scorer even when The King is back on the court.
NBA News: Shaquille O’Neal Wants Anthony Davis To Step Up And Lead
“LeBron, he handles the ball a lot. Of course, when he’s not there, everybody’s gonna touch it, everybody’s gonna [touch] it and AD becomes the No. 1 source, the No. 1 go-to-guy. We’ve been saying for the last two years he should be the No. 1 go-to guy, anyway,” Shaq started.
“LeBron is gonna be LeBron but AD should demand the ball, take high-percentage shots and not always take a backseat to LeBron,” Shaq added.“LeBron is not there, he’s the guy. He’s asking the ball, he’s getting the ball, he’s taking high-percentage shots and his numbers are showing. The question is can he do that with LeBron in the game?”
LeBron shouldn’t be asked to be the no.1 guy at this point in his career; that should be Davis’ role. He used to be that guy, so it’s not like he crumbles under pressure or struggled to prove that he can be a leader.
Injuries or not, Davis’ tenure in Los Angeles has been slightly disappointing. But he still has enough time to turn the narrative around and join the long list of elite big men to make history for the purple and gold.
