After DeMarcus Cousins went down with a devasting torn Achilles last season, Anthony Davis said that if he had to do it all for New Orleans, he was more than willing.
“If I have to be [Russell] Westbrook, I will be Westbook,” David vowed just prior to the greatest three-month stretch of his NBA career.
For many NBA superstars there’s a time when they achieve a consciousness about their powers. Anthony Davis appears to have arrived there: https://t.co/LCA7Cg95et
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) October 17, 2018
AD says he’s the League’s best player, and he will have to continue playing like Russ in order for the Pelicans to win.
Per ESPN:
“I heard what Coach was saying to me, I know what he was trying to do,” Davis said. “But that’s not what I wanted. I wanted to be great and I had to accept the challenge. From that day forward, I had to understand that if I wanted to be great that I had to do it. I had to be great every night.
“I saw what Russ Westbrook did when [Kevin] Durant went down with that foot injury in OKC. And that’s what I told Coach [Alvin] Gentry I have to be. If I have to be Westbrook, I will be Westbrook.”
In practices this preseason, Davis has rarely shot the ball. He wants his teammates to get used to not always going to him. During games he wants others to find confidence, especially Mirotic, because his scoring often unlocks the Pelicans’ offense. Last week in the final preseason game he wanted to put up a huge line — he had 36 points and 15 rebounds in 31 minutes — because he wanted his opening-night opponent, the Houston Rockets, to see he was ready for the start of the season.
“When you look at LeBron [James], every year you know he’s going to be great and his team is going to have a chance to win the title,” Davis said. “From here on out, I want to be in that conversation every year. Not every other year. Not every few years. Every year. If that’s going to happen, we’re going to have to win, and I’m going to have to be the most dominant player.”
Related
‘My Game is Different’: Anthony Davis Says He’s the NBA’s Best Player
