The Los Angeles Lakers have had quite a few great big men suit up for them over the years, with Anthony Davis and Pau Gasol being two of the more recent ones. On the latest episode of Gil’s Arenas, Gilbert Arenas stated Davis ranks above Gasol on the list of great Laker bigs.
“I’m pretty sure you have him (Davis) over Gasol,” Arenas said. “If you don’t have him over Gasol, something’s wrong with you. As a player… He’s a better player than Pau Gasol.”
Arenas got some pushback for his take. Nick Young pointed out that Gasol won more and Arenas stated that he won with an all-time great like Kobe Bryant. In response, Brandon Jennings brought up the fact that Davis won with LeBron James.
I think this is quite an interesting debate. You can make a good case for both players.
Davis is clearly the better player of the two. He has averaged 24.7 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.2 steals, and 2.2 blocks per game since joining the Lakers in 2019.
Gasol, meanwhile, averaged 17.7 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 0.6 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game in his seven seasons with the franchise. As good of a player he was, he wasn’t nearly as dominant on both ends as Davis has shown he can be from time to time.
On the other hand, the Lakers certainly had more success during Gasol’s tenure with them as compared to that of Davis. The Spaniard joined them midway through the 2007-08 season and helped them get to the NBA Finals in 2008.
While the Lakers lost that series in six games to the Boston Celtics, it wouldn’t take them too long to get over the line. With Gasol and Bryant leading the way, they’d win back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010. While the following years didn’t see a lot of success, three straight trips to the Finals and two titles are impressive accomplishments.
As for Davis, the Lakers got to the Finals in 2020 after trading for him, just as was the case with Gasol. They managed to win that time, though, beating the Miami Heat in six games to win the title. It seemed like Davis and James could go on a run like Gasol and Bryant, but it wasn’t to be.
In the four seasons since then, the Lakers have only gotten out of the first round once. They missed the playoffs in 2022 and were eliminated in the first round in 2021 and 2024. In 2023, they made it to the Western Conference Finals but were swept by the Denver Nuggets.
So, there are factors working in favor and against both Davis and Gasol. The question is what do you put more weightage on when ranking the greatest big men in Lakers history?
With the Lakers being all about titles, I guess I would look at the titles, which means Gasol would be the pick. If Davis can help them win another championship, though, I would put him above the Spaniard. It seems unlikely that the nine-time All-Star will pull that off in 2024-25, but the Lakers have gotten off to a good start.
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