Anthony Davis has long favored a move to the Los Angeles Lakers, and now that he's gotten his wish, he's also basked in the growing expectations that comes with being part of the franchise — as the Ws he puts up on the win-loss column will count for more than his stat line.
“I think a lot of stuff that I did in New Orleans, people saw and heard about. But then again, people said, ‘Well, it was New Orleans.' I think the big question is, ‘All right, let's see what he can do on a big stage,'” Anthony Davis told ESPN's Dave McMenamin. “Obviously the playoffs are the playoffs, but, ‘Let's see what he does on 35 [national] TV games now.
“Nobody was really waking up [for a game] in New Orleans. Every game now is like, ‘All right, if we beat the Lakers [we accomplished something].' [With the Pelicans] we could lose games and people were like, ‘OK, well no one expected them to win this game,' or whatever. Now, every night you have to show up. If not, the next day, here comes your name through the tabloids.”
Davis has gone from being in a low-pressure situation to the definition of a pressure-cooker, now teamed up with LeBron James after so many strings were pulled for this tandem to get together.
That pressure includes the expectation of not only making the playoffs, but grabbing one of the top seeds in the West, along with making a dent in the postseason, even if they've only been together for one season.
“I think having that for the first time is going to be fun,” said Davis. “I'm looking forward to it. Just to show the world, like, ‘All right, it wasn't a fluke for seven years in New Orleans.'”
Only time will tell if The Brow can deliver and if he can indeed handle the hoopla surrounding the purple and gold, in a 2019-20 campaign that looks more “title or bust” through every second of the preseason.
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