Anthony Davis was officially introduced as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday afternoon but Saturday also showed a side to Davis that we’ve yet to really see over the years. It’s also one that figures to vibe with the leadership style of LeBron James, which often relies heavily on good-natured ribbing between teammates.
During an interview with Allie Clifton of Spectrum SportsNet in L.A., Davis was asked about the chemistry he already has with DeMarcus Cousins and whether it could work with the Lakers as it did in New Orleans. Davis and Cousins outscored their opponents by 5.8 points per 100 possessions during their 42 games together in the 2017-18 season, prior to Cousins tearing his Achilles and missing the rest of the season.
But while he explained why it could work, he took the question as an opening to say that actually, it’s LeBron who is teaming up with the Pelicans of 2017-18, not the other way around.
Davis is the most accomplished teammate LeBron has ever had this side of Dwyane Wade and he’s already bringing some much-needed levity to the Lakers situation after drama has been their operating principle.
But Davis’ quickness to joke and even poke fun at LeBron likely bodes well for his ability to deal with the pressure cooker that is being on a team with the most talked about basketball player in the world.
