In an appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio for All-Star weekend, Lakers big man Anthony Davis revealed what it’s like to be teammates with one of the greatest players ever. As Davis mentioned in his response, LeBron has opened up a whole new world of opportunities on the court and he wouldn’t trade it for the world.
“I think my first year we had a conversation and he just told me, ‘look, don’t come in here and think the pressure is on you. It’s on me.’ He just took all the pressure away from me so I was able to just go out there and play,” said Davis. “And then we had another conversation in the last two years when the injuries happened and I was frustrated and he just said ‘hey man everything is gonna work itself out.’ Come back stronger, come back healthier, and then let’s get this thing going.'”
Anthony Davis became a Laker in 2019 after a blockbuster deal with the New Orleans Pelicans. At that point, LeBron was already in the Purple and Gold, and the Lakers were expected to compete for a championship right away. As a 3x champion himself, LeBron led the way for the Lakers early on and he made it clear that Davis’ only responsibility was to be the best version of himself on the basketball court.
Fortunately, his arrival was the piece that pushed the Lakers over the top, and they would go on to win a title a few months later. But after achieving that ultimate success in 2020, the Lakers have yet to match that play and now there are questions about if Davis and LeBron can ever win a championship together again.
Can LeBron James And Anthony Davis Win Another Title In Los Angeles?
A lot has changed since the 2020 championship and the Lakers today are almost unrecognizable from the group they had back then. After years of signings and trades (to varying degrees of success) the Lakers were finally able to pull together a run last season when they went to the Western Conference Finals with D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, and Rui Hacimura playing significant roles.
The Lakers decided to run it back with that roster for this season and the results have been mixed. Currently, the Lakers are 9th in the West and are on track for a brutal fight in the play-in tournament. But they have looked a lot better of late, going 7-3 in their last 10 games to move up to 30-26 before the All-Star break.
The Lakers still have faith that they can win it all and there may yet be another Finals run in them based on what we saw last year. Regardless of how the season pans out, however, Los Angeles has plans to tip the odds in their favor this summer when they go in full pursuit of a backcourt star.
Ultimately, the biggest factor in team success for the Lakers revolves around Anthony Davis. As long as he is playing like the superstar he can be, they have a shot to beat any team in the league. This season, with averages of 24.9 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game, Davis has been the best player on the team for his dominance on both ends and the Lakers will need him to keep leading the way if they want any chance to last four playoff rounds through April, May, and June.
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