Speaking on the Bully Ball podcast, former Celtics and LA Lakers star Rajon Rondo had his say on Anthony Davis and the LA Lakers. Davis has come under scrutiny for a lack of consistency despite showing flashes of brilliance throughout the season. He was instrumental in the Lakers’ In-Seaosn victory and was also dominant in the recent win against the San Antonio Spurs.
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Rondo believes that this is because AD is simply more effective as a player when trying to dominate the paint. He claimed that the role he was taking up recently, with DeAngelo Russell as his guard was similar to the one he had before Dennis Schroder’s departure. The clip was posted by Twitter user Raja on the social media platform.
“With LeBron forcing the ball to AD, I think that’s what the gameplan has to be. Whether its Austin who is doing it now, D-Lo, or Bron, but you have to go to AD first,” he said, before claiming that Davis needed to get the ball as much as possible. According to Rondo, that would allow the Lakers to get the best out of their big man.
“Let him carry you, let him draw the foul, let him destroy the paint. And then everybody else take it from there. Everybody wants to get their shots and attempts, but for the most part, I believe in setting the tone to the paint,” Rondo claimed.
The 37-year-old concluded by claiming that Davis had a simple job if his teammates passed him the ball regularly. “Get your a** to the post, and Get to the money, get to the free throw line,” he claimed, as Rachel Nichols talked about how utterly dominant he seemed against the Pacers in the In-Season tournament. AD starred in the Final, returning with a whopping 41 points, 20 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 blocks.
Anthony Davis was the star man during the Lakers’ In-Season Tournament Final
While it was LeBron James who won the MVP award for the cup competition, the Lakers have AD to thank for the Final itself. Davis was utterly dominant throughout the game shooting at an impressive 66.67% on the night. However, due to his absence in most of the matches and his up-and-down performances since the last post-season, AD has failed to be the best version of himself.
Considering the kind of criticism he has received thus far, the performance is bound to be viewed as a huge confidence booster. Davis has since responded with 2 straight double-doubles, scoring 37 points against the Mavericks and the Spurs each.
With a hattrick of big performances under his belt, the 30-year-old finally appears to be showing the kind of form he is expected to. The change comes at a good time, considering the Lakers have started the season comfortably, and will be looking to emerge as Championship contenders in the coming time.
