The Los Angeles Lakers will finish out their four-game road trip with Anthony Davis‘ highly-anticipated return against the New Orleans Pelicans.
This will be the first time Davis plays against New Orleans since requesting a trade and subsequently being moved to the Lakers to begin the 2019 NBA offseason.
As is the case whenever something like this happens, Davis will likely be booed mercilessly by the Pelicans fans in attendance, something he is fully aware of. This will make for an interesting environment for the 26-year-old, but one he can hopefully thrive in for the Lakers.
Davis says he’s excited to play against his former team and is expecting a reaction similar to the one he got in the first game he played in after his trade request, according to Tania Ganguli of Los Angeles Times:
“I’m excited to play, just [like] I was excited to play that first game against Minnesota last year, but I think you got to embrace it,” Davis said. “I know what the reaction’s going to be. I try to look at all the guys who went and had something like that, but it’s unique, and I’m excited to go there and play for the first time with an opposing team, so it’s going to be fun.”
Davis also recognizes this will be a big game for Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Josh Hart as he feels they’ll have something to prove:
“It’s two-fold,” Davis said of the game Wednesday. “I mean, it’s going to be me against the Pelicans and then the three guys, if they play, against the Lakers, so it’s going to be a great battle. Those guys are going to try to take our heads off just to prove a point, and I don’t want to say I want to take their heads off. I just want to win it.”
Despite the Pelicans having one of the worst defenses in the NBA and being home to a very weak record, they’ll likely remain very competitive in this game strictly by trying to prove a point.
Even if Hart, Ball, and Ingram don’t say so, there’s always going to be a hint of the disrespected feeling in a trade scenario and this will play a huge factor in a game the Pelicans have likely been anticipating for some time.
Davis is clearly looking forward to it as well, and it will be fun to see who comes out on top in a game where everyone has something to prove.