Anthony Davis is looking to face his old team, the New Orleans Pelicans, tonight, and his Los Angeles Lakers teammate Rajon Rondo has some words of wisdom for him.
Rondo has played for six franchises so far, including the Lakers, so he knows a thing or two about playing against a former team. His advice to Davis sounds like tough love from a father passing on what he has learned about life to his son.
In Davis’ case, he has never played against his former team before because the Lakers are only the second team he has played for since he was drafted No. 1 overall in 2012 by the Pelicans.
Rondo spoke to ESPN about what Davis has to do when the Lakers take the floor at Smoothie King Center for the first time this season.
“Just focus on getting the win,” Rondo said. “That’s all that matters. You want to go back and beat your home team — or your old team. Just focus on getting the W. And you go from there. Let your game speak for itself. Don’t try to press anything. Just be who you are. He doesn’t have to go out there and try to score 50 — even though he can do it, probably, any night. Just go out there and get the win.”
For many players, getting the win on the road against their former team isn’t the only thing that’s on their mind. They want the win but they also want to have a big game, something that Rondo acknowledges Davis will want for himself.
“S—, if he wants to have a big game, of course he wants to have a game,” Rondo added. “I just want to get a W. Anybody who is playing against their old team, I want to beat their ass and go from there.”
That’s exactly what Rondo did after the Boston Celtics traded him to the Dallas Mavericks during the 2014-15 season. He faced his old team less than a month later and played like he had a chip on his shoulder, scoring a season-high 29 points on 12-of-19 shooting from the field.
He also added six rebounds, five assists and one steal in a stellar performance against his former teammates. More importantly, the Mavs defeated the Celtics by 18 points, 119-101, at TD Garden in Boston.
Davis expects boos to rain down from the New Orleans crowd, and he is probably right to anticipate that they are coming, especially after he left the team under less than favorable circumstances.
But if he takes Rondo’s advice to heart, Davis should be more than ready come tip-off time later tonight.
