Anthony Davis continues to assert his leadership on the New Orleans Pelicans

While the rest of America was laying in bed and basking in the afterglow from viewing the latest episode of the Game of Thrones, Anthony Davis was busy working on his cardio in a University of Kentucky practice gym, running 5-4-3-2-1’s late Sunday night.

Anthony Davis Snapchat

One thing we’ve witnessed on a consistent basis this offseason has been various members of the Pelicans working hard on their games and conditioning on social media, and Davis has been at the forefront of this. From performing various specific exercises under the watchful eye of Jason Sumerlin, New Orleans head strength coach, to running shooting drills alongside Solomon Hill or DeMarcus Cousins out in Los Angeles, Davis appears to be on a mission as his message rang loud and clear last night on Snapchat.

“We getting it, man. We’ve been great this offseason, man. We gotta get it. It starts with me. {In a quieter tone.} It starts with me. Let’s get it."

Anthony Davis Snapchat

Transitioning into a leadership role has not come naturally for Davis. Since the Pelicans last postseason appearance, much has been written on this topic. From an eye-opening moment during the 2015-16 season where Tim Frazier looked for input to AD admitting he doesn’t like to tell grown men what to do, Davis has always preferred to lead by example.

Well, it appears something is clicking because the Pelicans star has been joined in the Bluegrass state by the majority of the 2017-18 squad.

The only members missing from this picture are Alexis Ajinca, Omer Asik, Hill, Cheick Diallo (although a video confirmed his presence later) and E’Twaun Moore. Even both two-way contract players, Jalen Jones and Charles Cooke, and Jaleel Cousins, Boogie’s brother, are there representing.

Rajon Rondo, Darius Miller and Cousins are in Kentucky for the same reasons as Davis —the UK Alumni Charity Game. However, instead of each doing their own thing and just enjoying the surrounding festivities, the Pelicans appear to be taking the trip seriously. As the tweet by Kentucky Basketball shows, the core was caught working on the court together well before the exhibition game scheduled for Friday.

Yes, this news certainly deserves to get filed under the appropriate offseason subheading, but remember that loads of positivity was something the Pelicans lacked exactly one year ago as they were unsure about the futures of two of their best players: Jrue Holiday was in the midst of dealing with a scary family issue and Tyreke Evans return was entirely up in the air.

So, joyous summer-filled quotes, articles and pictures >>>>> ominous clouds, any day of the week!