Anthony Davis says he will play center if Lakers need him to

Anthony Davis made sure not to sugarcoat his true feelings about playing center at his introductory press conference on Saturday afternoon in Los Angeles, but he also made it clear that he will do whatever is asked of him to help the team win.

Davis was officially introduced as the new No. 3 for the Lakers on Saturday after announcing his jersey choice via Instagram. And the question of whether he will play center for the Lakers came up from the press. According to Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times, it’s not something he will like but something he will do.

"I like playing the four. I’m not even going to sugar coat it." AD says. He turned to Frank Vogel and put his hand on his shoulder, smiling. "If it comes down to it, coach, and you need me to play the five, I’ll play the five."

— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) July 13, 2019

Despite being a 7-foot shot-blocking force, Davis has long considered himself a power forward and there have been some criticisms that he can sometimes get too perimeter-oriented. However, with LeBron James at the controls he will have plenty of easy opportunities at the rim and will likely as open as he ever has been before in his career.

Davis isn’t alone in often playing a position he doesn’t like. LeBron himself isn’t too fond of banging down low with bigs but has often been tasked with that over the last few years in both Cleveland and Los Angeles.