Shaquille O’Neal wants Lakers star Anthony Davis to demand more of the ball even after LeBron James returns to full fitness

Los Angeles Lakers tar Anthony Davis has been on a dominating run of games recently especially in LeBron James’ absence. Davis has been superb with almost everything and the Lakers have had a 3-1 record in these four games.

In these four matches, Davis has averaged 35.5 points, 18.3 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 2.5 blocks which is absolutely sensational. The team that is down on confidence, needed that extra motivation coming from their superstar. That’s exactly what Davis did with his dominating performances. His all round game impressed many as many people said that they can finally see MVP contender Anthony Davis in these four games. However the Lakers star needs to do it more often and also needs to stay fit to continue leading the Purple and Gold army.

Recently on the “The Big Podcast with Shaq”, Big Diesel shared his thoughts on how Davis should be getting more of the ball even when LeBron is around. He highlights how the big man has been fantastic whenever he has demanded the ball and has the ability to drop superb performances on both ends of the court.

“LeBron, he handles the ball a lot. Of course, when he’s not there, everybody’s gonna touch it, everybody’s gonna [touch] it and AD becomes the No. 1 source, the No. 1 go-to-guy,” Shaquille O’Neal stated.

“We’ve been saying for the last two years he should be the No. 1 go-to guy, anyway. LeBron is gonna be LeBron but AD should demand the ball, take high-percentage shots and not always take a backseat to LeBron,” he added.

Shaquille O’Neal wants Anthony Davis to come out more vividly even when LeBron is in the team. Shaq wants to see more authority from the big man as he is destined for big things in the NBA if he keeps his head down and fitness on point. However Shaq is unsure if Davis can demand this much of the ball when LeBron James is back again in action. “LeBron is not there, he’s the guy. He’s asking the ball, he’s getting the ball, he’s taking high-percentage shots and his numbers are showing. The question is can he do that with LeBron in the game?”

Before the start of the season new Lakers coach Darvin Ham has openly said to the media that the Lakers offense will run through Anthony Davis and even LeBron James have agreed to it. Now it remains to be seen if his statistics drop down considerably or do they get enhanced with LeBron’s presence and elite playmaking.