Los Angeles Lakers: 5 reasons Anthony Davis trade is a win
2. They now have the best one-two punch in the league
Looking up and down the healthy rosters going into next season, it is hard to find a duo even close to the what the Lakers can put out on the court pairing LeBron with AD. If the Warriors had not had such catastrophic injuries in the finals, they could have an argument, but they will be hobbled all of next season due to the injuries to Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant.
There is a clear opening at the top of the Western Conference and if the combination of Chris Paul and James Harden is the next best pairing in the league, then it is no wonder why the Lakers are the favorites to win the title in Vegas. Not since the days of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal have two of arguably the league’s top-5 players resided on the same team in Los Angeles, and the glory days are indeed back.
A ton of people on social media has compared this combination to when the Lakers landed Dwight Howard and tried to pair him with an aging star in Kobe Bryant. At 26 and 34, AD and James are even identical ages as Howard and Bryant were when Dwight was signed in 2012.
However, AD and Howard in these scenarios are in completely different stages of their careers. At the time Dwight was acquired, he had already been to an NBA Finals, his play was declining, and his game was centered around strength and athleticism to be dominant.
AD, on the other hand, still has a ton to prove so he will be motivated to be successful in Los Angeles, his game is built on finesse and is versatile, and it sounds like he is committed to the Lakers long term.
This pairing is more comparable to when Kobe was paired with Pau Gasol, whose ability to take the pressure off him offensively allowed them to win multiple championships in the later stage of his career.
With seemingly plenty left in the tank after a 27 point, eight rebound, and eight assist averages for LeBron last season, there is no reason that he and Davis should not be in the title conversation for the next few seasons.