Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis doesn't want anyone's encouragement. Yes, even those coming from LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, and his other Lakers teammates.
Davis, who has noticeably bulked up this offseason, is expected to have a bounce-back campaign after his mediocre stint last season, which was riddled by injuries. His exit in the first round of the NBA Playoffs against the Phoenix Suns practically doomed the Lakers' title defense.
Davis will have a lot of new faces alongside him, and the Lakers big man pointed out that he doesn't want them to babysit him (via ESPN).
Article Continues Below“I like teammates who are going to push me. Encouragement—I don't need encouragement. I want to be pushed. I want guys to tell me when I'm messing up. Me and Russ had numerous conversations in this first practice alone about things we can do together as a duo when we're both on the floor.”
Lucikly for AD, there are plenty of other guys on the Lakers who could call him out. He mentioned LeBron, Rajon Rondo, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, DeAndre Jordan as teammates who possibly won't encourage him.
“That's what I want. I got numerous guys that's always in my ear about things, so you can't ask for more as a player who wants to get better.”
LeBron has showered praise on AD, saying the NBA should be wary of an “angry” Davis. Perhaps refusing encouragement is also part of the Lakers All-Star's new mindset.