The Los Angeles Lakers trading for Anthony Davis to pair with LeBron James put them in instant championship contention for the 2019-20 NBA season.
James and Davis were the only duo in the league to be voted in the top five of ESPN’s annual NBA Rank with the former ranking third and the latter ranking fifth. And to add to them, the Lakers put together a complete roster filled with good role players top to bottom.
With the roster being better than any roster the Lakers have seen in at least a decade, the question many will want to know is who the offense will run through. Will it be James — who has been the best player in the league for a decade — but is now entering his 17th season? Or will it be Davis, who spent seven seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans running their offense solely through him?
James discussed the subject at 2019 Lakers Media Day. “We all know how great Anthony Davis is. If we’re not playing through Anthony Davis while he’s on the floor, then it makes no sense to have him on the floor because he’s that great,” James said.
“That doesn’t mean every time down we throw it to him and throw it to him and throw it to him, but we have the ability to do that. He’s been very efficient in his career, he commands double teams, and when you’re able to attract two defenders on one guy, then you have the numbers game.”
Now, this could be just unselfish offseason talk, but it seems he and Davis are very firmly on the same page. Davis spoke about who the offense will run through and was very gracious for James’ comments.
“It was very kind of him. I think we’re gonna feed off each other tremendously,” Davis said when asked about James’ comments.
“I think we’re two guys who are very selfless and just want to win and when you have two guys like that, it makes both our jobs a lot easier. And then we also have other guys around us who also want to win and help us along the way.”
James and Davis — as well as the host of role players on the roster — seem to be ready to compete with and for one another. In September when games are yet to be played, this is all any fan could ask for.
With 2019 NBA training camp underway, there’s plenty of reason for excitement and it starts with the two All-Star players leading the way.