LeBron James, for as much as he included Anthony Davis in discussions when talking about leading the team, was the undisputed leader for the 2020 Lakers championship run. When it came to running the show and getting things set-up, as well as setting the tone, James was the one. But the incredible high-level of play from Anthony Davis was elite on a similar level to James’, while also proving a lot of hope that Davis can be the leader the Lakers will need, whenever LeBron decides to pass the torch as the team’s No. 1 option.
An anonymous NBA agent, who was polled in a story for The Athletic, explained that the Lakers’ long-term ceiling could be even higher thanks to what Davis showed in the playoffs this season.
“There were some questions (with Davis). He had never been to the finals, he had never been in a pressure situation and, as we’ve seen with the Clippers when a new team comes together and they get to those big stages, it’s very hard to come together and play well. When Anthony hit the game-winner and hit those back to back 3s, it was, ‘Wow, here’s a guy who’s on a big stage for the first time and he’s not even a 3-point shooter like that and he hit back to back 3s to win the game.’ It said, ‘Okay, maybe this guy is an alpha superstar who didn’t have the tools around him to be that.’ … It changes the ceiling and the runway for this Lakers team. Maybe when LeBron slows down Anthony can take over and be the best player in the world.”
Whatever questions there were about Davis during his time in New Orleans, he has clearly proven they were all more about the lackluster teams put around him than his generational talent.
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