Lakers' Anthony Davis reveals what 'stood out' amid JJ Redick hire
09/30/2024 04:08 PM
LeBron James will be the face of the NBA and whatever team he plays for until his eventual retirement. But both he and the Los Angeles Lakers understand that Anthony Davis is the man tapped to lead the franchise in the long-term. That transition started to take shape last year, as the star big man played a career-high 76 regular season games. It carried over into this offseason, with management seeking his feedback in its head coaching search.
Davis was intrigued by JJ Redick, the man who ultimately secured the job after LA’s failed pursuit of two-time defending national champion Dan Hurley. He told general manager Rob Pelinka what appealed to him most about the former NBA guard and ESPN broadcaster.
“The principles and the schemes that (Redick) wanted to bring to our organization stood out to me, and I relayed that to Rob, and let Rob do his job from there,” Davis said on Media Day, per Spectrum SportsNet’s Mike Trudell.
Can Lakers’ Anthony Davis emphatically seize the mantle this year
Redick has expressed his intent to ease some of James’ offensive burden, and the most logical way to implement that approach is by trusting Davis to serve as the Lakers’ nucleus for long stretches of time. If LA advances to the postseason, Redick might find it wiser to lean on the four-time NBA Finals MVP and all-time scoring leader, but he will want to keep the 40-year-old James as fresh as possible.
Preserving Anthony Davis is obviously important as well, given that he just had a highly active year of basketball that culminated with a gold medal run at the Paris Summer Olympics. The four-time All-NBA First-Team selection must fully embrace his responsibilities as the future face of the franchise, however. His relationship with new head coach JJ Redick will be instrumental in the Lakers succeeding this upcoming season, and ideally the several to follow.
The post Lakers’ Anthony Davis reveals what ‘stood out’ amid JJ Redick hire appeared first on ClutchPoints.
