Anthony Davis Says Frank Vogel Told Lakers Players Not to Dribble Near Avery Bradley

The Los Angeles Lakers modified their roster to perfection. They have Anthony Davis and a bunch of other talented players. Avery Bradley is one of them. Head coach Frank Vogel told Davis not to dribble the ball near Bradley.

“It’s to the point where coach said ‘if you’ve got the ball (near him), just pass it.’ He’s very special on the defensive end,” Davis said.

When he was asked about the guards and what has stood out about this group, Davis said it is Avery.  

“I’ve seen Avery play defense from afar, but to see it every day, the way he gets after it and competes is pretty special. He can really guard the ball,” he said.

Lakers head coach Frank Vogel talked about his new player, too.

“He’s the guy that everybody’s talking about. That’s the one thing that sticks out to me is that Anthony and LeBron look imposing together, that lineup today looked imposing together. When you’ve got two of the best players in the world competing together and all anybody is talking about is Avery Bradley’s tenaciousness, that speaks volumes about what he’s been able to show in the first couple of days.

“Just being in the face of whoever has the basketball, and it’s become very clear from coaching against him I’d say ‘don’t dribble the ball. If Avery is on you, just pass the ball, give it up, because you’re not going anywhere off the bounce with Avery Bradley on you.’ But he’s shooting the ball well offensively too… He’s really shooting, not just the corner three, the arc three. He shot it at high-level in Memphis last year and has really grown throughout his career, and we’re going to use him a lot off of screens.”

Bradley heard the words of praise, but he is too humble to brag about it.

“It means a lot. It’s just the beginning, we’re all taking this one day at a time,” he said. “I think that’s the main key, us not getting ahead of ourselves, just taking it one day at a time. But it has been a good camp for me.

“I’m happy because I put in a lot of work this summer, but it’s not about me. It’s about the team and I’m going to see what position coach puts us in, and I’m going to be prepared for whatever position it is.”