Shaquille O'Neal Believes Anthony Davis Should Be The Los Angeles Lakers' Leader
Davis had one of his best seasons as a Laker last year
After a huge summer, the Los Angeles Lakers are officially ready to take on the 2024-25 season. However, with a new head coach in JJ Redick, many NBA pundits are uncertain of how the team will perform throughout the campaign.
On a recent episode of Shaquille O’Neal and Adam Lefkoe’s The Big Podcast With Shaq podcast, O’Neal said Anthony Davis should take over as the leader of the organization.
“If I was LeBron [James'], being that I already have all the records, I would pass it to AD [Anthony Davis],” O’Neal said. “I would demand AD because, listen, LeBron can still do what he do, but, ‘I don’t need to have the ball all the time. I don’t need to score all the points. So, AD, I need you to score all the points. Austin Reaves, you can be number two. I can just be the old Magic Johnson-style point guard and keep everybody involved and just keep this thing going.”
In 2018, the Lakers signed James with the intention of making him their leader. Despite missing out on the postseason during his first year there, James certainly executed his leadership role. Along with Davis, he led Los Angeles to the playoffs the following year and even helped them win their first championship since 2010.
Davis is prepared to take on the leadership role
Taking into account that James is now playing in his 22nd season, it could be a good idea to let Davis run the show. Although he has a long history of injuries, with some fans giving him the nickname “Street Clothes," Davis still has the ability to be the Lakers’ best player.
Last year, Davis had arguably his best season as a Laker. Not only did he play a career-high 76 games, but he turned in averages of 24.7 points, a career-high 12.6 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks. According to StatMuse, he averaged 26.3 points in the 10 games he played without James. His efforts allowed him to make the All-NBA Second Team and NBA All-Defensive First Team. He also finished fourth in voting for the Defensive Player of the Year award.
He carried that same level of production into the playoffs. Though they lost to the Denver Nuggets in the first round, he still logged in 27.8 points, 15.6 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game.
Considering Davis played at a high level last season, he has the potential to be a leader for the Lakers.
Cory Nelson is a contributor to Fansided’s Wiz of Awes. He attended Northern Virginia Community College. He can be reached at corymckenzienelson@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter @CKenzyNelson, Instagram @ckenzynelson, and Threads @ckenzynelson