Anthony Davis has deservedly drawn praise from all corners of the basketball world — he’s already arguably the third-best player in the NBA, and he’s only 22. Piling on to the acclaim he’s received in his three-year NBA career, one of the greatest centers in NBA history now says he wants his son to pattern his game after Davis. Here’s what Shaquille O’Neal said about Davis, via John Reid of the Times Picayune:
O’Neal isn’t wrong about Davis being the best power forward in the NBA, assuming he sees most of his time there. It’s a crowded field, with the likes of Kevin Love, Blake Griffin and LaMarcus Aldridge all having a legitimate case for that designation. But Davis’ ceiling is higher than any of them. If LeBron James counts as a power forward, the answer is obviously him, but counting LeBron in any category isn’t fair to the rest of the field.
''I told him to watch Anthony because he’s probably going to be the same height and have the same type of build,’' said O’Neal, who returned to Baton Rouge to host his annual annual LSU Life Skills Golf Classic at Carter Plantation on Friday in Springfield. ''Not skinny, but long.
''He’s (Davis) probably the best at that position. He can run, rebound, dominate take over games. He’s going to do his thing this year.’'
Already at 6-foot-8, Shareef O’Neal also is doing his own thing to turn heads. He emerged in AAU ball this summer playing for the California Supreme as a power foward.
O’Neal isn’t wrong about Davis being the best power forward in the NBA, assuming he sees most of his time there. It’s a crowded field, with the likes of Kevin Love, Blake Griffin and LaMarcus Aldridge all having a legitimate case for that designation. But Davis’ ceiling is higher than any of them. If LeBron James counts as a power forward, the answer is obviously him, but counting LeBron in any category isn’t fair to the rest of the field.