Los Angeles Lakers Anthony Davis revealed true feelings on being an integral part of Team USA and compared it to his first time representing the U.S.

Team USA is on a quest for its fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal and will face Brazil in the quarterfinals. Anthony Davis, a key player on the team, spoke about his significant role now compared to his debut Olympics back in 2012.

In the 2012 London Olympics, the No. 1 pick in the 2012 NBA draft was the last man on the bench. Fast forward to today, and Davis is a pivotal player for Team USA. “I was a towel waver coming fresh out of college [in 2012],” Davis told Andscape. “To be an integral part of it now and actually getting minutes, I have a different type of appreciation.”

The Lakers star doesn’t see his time in 2012 as wasted; rather, he is grateful for those experiences that shaped him into the player he is today. “I don’t think that I would be the player I am today without that experience,” Davis said. “That first year being around those guys I was around, Melo [Anthony], Kobe, Bron, Iguodala, James Harden, Russ [Westbrook], KD, Kevin Love, all those guys. Seeing their work ethic, their professionalism, how they approached the game.”

Anthony Davis says ‘Now, it’s go time’

After Team USA’s three wins in the group stage, they will play Brazil for a spot in the semifinals. Davis knows they must be flawless to win the gold: “We had three games to kind of just clean everything up. And now, it’s go time. We play Brazil.”

“We have to get prepared for them. And we have to play mistake-free basketball and also be as perfect as possible knowing that these teams are also playing for gold and trying to compete,” he concluded.