5. The Lakers still have LeBron James and Anthony Davis
Some were skeptical when the 2019-20 season began, but it eventually became beyond obvious that the Lakers possessed the NBA’s best superstar duo.
LeBron James showed no signs of aging, as he averaged 25.3 points, 7.8 rebounding and 10.2 assists a game. He led the NBA in the latter category for the first time in his career, which is pretty impressive when you consider that he’s 35 years of age.
He upped those numbers to 27.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and 8.8 dimes per game in 21 postseason games en route to his fourth NBA Finals MVP award.
He showed no signs of slowing down any time soon, and although many are concerned that he won’t have enough rest since training camp starts on Dec. 1, keep in mind that James (and everyone else) had four months off in the spring, which is the length of a full offseason.
Even better, there was no travel, no early wake-up calls, etc. while in the bubble, which means that no one accumulated the usual amount of fatigue that they have to deal with during a trip to the Finals.
As of this writing, Anthony Davis still hasn’t officially re-signed with the Purple and Gold, but it’s a formality that he will – it’s just a matter of the length and terms of his new contract.
He not only proved that he can be a dominant player while under the bright lights and pressure of L.A., but he even improved his game.
From Jan. 1 onward, Davis made 37.9 percent of his 3-pointers in the regular season. Prior to that, he had been known as someone who could occasionally hit a trey, but was otherwise a below-average 3-point shooter.
In the championship series, he actually shot over 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from beyond the arc and 90 percent from the free-throw line. Very impressive for a man who’s nearly 7-feet tall.
At age 27, he’s just entering his prime, and as long as James is still an elite-level player or close to it, the rest of the league will have its hands full.