The Los Angeles Lakers have been thriving ever since making the mid-season trade for Luka Doncic. While Luka’s play has been huge for their success, one former NBA player says the subtraction of Davis in the frontcourt has opened up the floor for LeBron James.
“I felt Anthony Davis was in LeBron’s way,” said Morris on the KOC Show. “LeBron is really a four now and that’s the position Anthony Davis wanted to play. He’s always on the box, he wasn’t stretching it that well. Now you add a top-five player in the NBA where he’s a matchup nightmare. When 77 walks in the building, OKC, Minnesota, Phoenix, Clippers — they dread seeing him. Now he has 23 on his back. What does that equal? 100.”
LeBron James and Anthony Davis had a lot of success on the Lakers. After winning the championship in 2020, they were hailed as one of the best duos in the game, and they kept the Lakers in the playoff picture year after year.
In five and a half seasons as a Laker, Davis averaged 24.8 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game on 55.6% shooting. He was the anchor on defense and a dominant interior force.
LeBron and the Lakers loved Anthony Davis and they had no plans to trade the star big man until the Mavericks came calling to offer Luka Doncic. Doncic’s arrival has opened up a whole new world for the Lakers and especially for LeBron James.
James (40) has been primarily a paint scorer for most of his career but he had to adapt by playing from the outside in order to leave enough space for Anthony Davis under the rim. Now, as Luka Doncic takes control of the shooting and playmaking duties, James has found new life in his 22nd NBA season.
Through 58 games in the 2024-25 campaign, LeBron James is averaging 25.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 8.5 assists per game on 51.7% shooting. He’s been a steady hand for the Lakers since the deadline, carrying them to a 42-25 record.
As good as Davis was, he was inconsistent offensively and would often have games where he’d make a minimal scoring impact. It’s also no secret that he preferred to play power forward over center which often forced the Lakers to play with more size and less shooting around the perimeter.
Since the Doncic trade, LeBron has been pushed to the four to start alongside Rui Hachimura and Jaxson Hayes in the frontcourt. It’s forced the Lakers to change their playstyle but the results have been amazing so far and it looks like Luka may be bringing the best out of the Purple and Gold.
This season, the Lakers rank 11th on offense (115.3 rating) and 13th on defense (113.7). They also have the 13th-best net rating in the NBA at +1.6.
It remains to be seen how the Lakers’ success will translate to the playoffs but they are looking better than ever after swapping their star big man for one of the best young scorers in the game.
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