The Los Angeles Lakers have to be thrilled with how LeBron James and Anthony Davis have looked through the exhibition slate for Team USA.
Davis dominated the first three games with constant interior scoring, rebounding and defense while LeBron James has come up huge in the clutch in their past two wins against South Sudan and Germany. James’ performance against Germany was a strong reminder that he is one of the best players in the league and several NBA players reacted to his crunch time heroics.
While Los Angeles should be happy that its two stars are off to a great start in international play, it does beg the question as to whether or not this will prompt the front office to invest in the roster as they’ve stood pat throughout free agency. Some might argue that the strength of the Western Conference and the lack of tradable assets should give the front office pause, but it’s hard to watch James and Davis dominate and not wonder what they could do with more help.
NBA veteran Austin Rivers has been watching Team USA and believes that James and Davis still have a window to compete for a title, via his personal X account:
When you watch USA basketball and realize the two most dynamic players thus far are two Lakers players…you realize they’re not far behind in competing for a chip. That window can’t be closed considering I’m watching them be the best on the BEST team in the world…🤷♂️ thoughts? pic.twitter.com/PMWb3rDowm
— Austin Rivers (@AustinRivers25) July 22, 2024
Rivers discusses how James and Davis have looked on the floor and even emphatically disagrees with the notion that the King’s door to winning titles in L.A. has closed. He also goes on to say that the Lakers stars have stuck out from the rest of a Team USA roster that is littered with the best players in the NBA.
The James-Davis duo is making a strong case to be the best pairing in the league and it almost looks silly that they haven’t been granted more help on the Lakers roster. As the exhibition slate has shown, James and Davis can win games at the highest level and shouldn’t be counted out in any matchup.
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