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Los Angeles Lakers: 3 players that will benefit from LeBron playing less

Jason Reed|
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 22: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers slaps hands with Head coach Frank Vogel of the Los Angeles Lakers in the second half in Game Three of the first round of the playoffs between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Portland Trail Blazers at the AdventHealth Arena at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 22, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kim Klement-Pool/Getty Images)
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 22: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers slaps hands with Head coach Frank Vogel of the Los Angeles Lakers in the second half in Game Three of the first round of the playoffs between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Portland Trail Blazers at the AdventHealth Arena at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 22, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kim Klement-Pool/Getty Images)
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Los Angeles Lakers
(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers

Lakers who could benefit: 1. Anthony Davis

I think that this is the first season where the Los Angeles Lakers really look to be Anthony Davis’ team. LeBron James is still the face of the NBA and is still going to be an absolute menace in the NBA Playoffs, but it is clear that the long-term plan for the Lakers is AD.

If all goes as planned, AD and LeBron will win several championships together and AD will be the one that sticks around in LA later in his career to potentially contend with the next superstar. He is the one that has the better odds of going down as a Lakers all-time great.

The Lakers are going to be careful with Davis’ minutes as well but he is younger and in his athletic prime so he is also going to be asked to pick up some of the workload with LeBron playing fewer minutes.

This dynamic, along with the fact that AD is at the perfect age for a career season, leads me to believe that he won’t just be the better Laker this season but that he will be a finalist (with a good chance of winning) for the MVP award.

He will be the best regular-season player on the best regular-season team in the league. He has to compete with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic and even Kevin Durant, but I like AD’s chances.

Anthony Davis was fantastic last season and then took his game to a new level in the NBA Playoffs. I would expect more of that progression as AD puts together the best season of his career thus far.