Lakers News: How Pau Gasol Feels About Anthony Davis' Place In LA History
Your Los Angeles Lakers seem to be hitting their stride of late. The Purple and Gold have won four out of their last five games, and a big reason why is because of the play of their superstar center Anthony Davis.
With their other future Hall of Famer, 38-year-old LeBron James, out of the lineup for the next couple of weeks, AD needs to put the team on his shoulders, and thus far he has done that and more. Davis has been playing out of his mind and is reminding people of just how dominant he can be.
And if people forgot, he sure reminded them on Tuesday night against the Memphis Grizzlies, where he put up 30 points and 22 rebounds in 36 minutes. He propelled LA to a victory the night LA honored their legendary big man and two-time Lakers champion, Pau Gasol.
Gasol finally got his number 16 jersey retired by LA and will forever hang in the rafters beside his teammate and brother, Kobe Bryant.
The ceremony took place at halftime of Tuesday's game. As the Lakers were approaching the floor for the second half, The Athletic's Lakers insider Jovan Buha said Davis congratulated Gasol and said he wants to be up there among the Laker greats. Gasol shared to Buha what he responded to Davis.
“I told him that he could and that he should and that he will if he keeps doing what he’s doing,” Gasol said. “He’s a great player. He’s a great kid. He’s at an age where he’s still a lot to give, a lot to prove, a lot to accomplish. … He has that type of mindset of ambitiousness, of high goals, of greatness — and what it takes.”
There is no questioning Davis' talent and skill set, but in order to get into the conservation, he must be consistent and available. When AD is right, everyone in the league knows what he's capable of between the lines.
Davis, who turns 30 today, has one chip under his belt. However, much more is required as a Laker, and hopefully, he remains a Laker. I believe he could be in the rafters one day if he collects more accolades and gets a couple more championships. Hopefully, we are a long way from those talks, and he keeps playing like the future Hall of Famer that he'll become.
As of now, he is on the right path, and I can't wait to see what else he brings to the Purple and Gold.
LA has a tremendous history of luxurious big men. Could AD solidify himself as one of those men?
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