After the Golden State Warriors won three championships in five consecutive NBA Finals appearances, there is finally parity with numerous teams having two All-Star players.
Out of all the contenders, much of the attention has been on LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the Los Angeles Lakers.
While there will continue to be debates, James and Davis are viewed as the league’s most talented duo — if healthy.
Following the team’s first practice, head coach Frank Vogel believes the Lakers truly have ‘two top-five players.’
“I think we got the best of them of all the duos. You got two top-five players. Two guys that really just do it all. I put those two guys against anybody in the league,” Vogel said.
Along with the duo’s talent and staying healthy, the Lakers did a solid job of surrounding them with strong role players. Unlike Year 1 which featured a young core and playmakers, they finally have 3-and-D players and rim protectors now.
As James and Davis fit well together and are extremely unselfish players, it should speed up the team’s ability to build chemistry in the first couple months of Year 2.
Prior to the start of 2019 NBA training camp, James set up a Las Vegas mini-camp where Davis shared it was the first time the entire roster was together and it was enjoyable.
While all of the attention is on all of the league’s new duos and rightfully so, the role players around them will likely dictate who ultimately wins the 2020 NBA Finals.
Although there may be concerns about a 34-year-old James at this stage of his career, he is ‘very motivated’ to prove he is still the best player in the league. And for the 26-year-old Davis, he is viewed as the next face after James retires.
With the Lakers preparing for their first 2019 NBA preseason game against the Warriors on Oct. 5, they have an incredible foundation with James and Davis now.