Entering the 2024-25 season, the Los Angeles Lakers wanted to make sure that everyone knew Anthony Davis is the guy now. LeBron James, a larger than life superstar, is nearing his supernova stage. Davis isn’t exactly young (he’ll turn 32 years old in March). However, he’s in a much better position —at least physically —to take on the challenge of leading a team to and through the NBA Playoffs.
Right?
The Lakers Are LeBron James’s Team
As it turns out, the Lakers may have jumped the gun. James isn’t ready to relinquish the reins just yet, and it’s not so much because he doesn’t want to, so much as it’s not realistic. Davis’s hot start helped remind people that he’s an MVP-caliber player when healthy and involved. However, there are several issues with saying that the Lakers are Davis’s team now.
So much so that it could even be considered lip service.
Nothing New Here
Since trading for Davis in the 2019 offseason, there have been multiple instances in which his status as L.A.’s top dog have been discussed.
In Sep. 2021, Davis entered the season saying that his teammates were telling him that the Lakers were his team. Perhaps they forgot what was said the year prior, but in Sep. 2022, Davis told NBA reporter Chris Haynes that James was in his ear about taking over the team. In Dec. 2022, James told reporters that Davis was clearly the No. 1 option.
LeBron said it’s clear AD’s been the No. 1 option, and he’s been flourishing.
“We know it’s our job every night to get AD going, (get him) involved. And it’s AD’s job to be assertive. He’s been doing that, and we love it.”
Davis continued his tear with 44 points tonight.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) December 3, 2022
Then, in Oct. 2023, James took it a step further by claiming that Davis is the face of the Lakers franchise. By the 2024 offseason, when Lakers head coach JJ Redick said he planned to make Davis a centrifugal force, it was a familiar refrain. In Oct. 2024, James chimed in again, saying that “it’s very important that he’s the main focal point for (Los Angeles) every single night.”
All the while, the team has only gone as far as James takes them. That isn’t to dismiss Davis’s contributions, as he’s long been one of the greatest players in the league. However, the Lakers’ chances of surviving without Davis versus James makes it clear who the guy really is.
While just 55-65 without Davis since 2019-20, the Lakers are 50-72 without James. Ultimately, Davis is essential to the team’s success, but James is even more so.
The Offense’s Central Force
The difference between Davis and a center like Nikola Jokic or Joel Embiid offensively is their ability to create their own shot. Again, this isn’t to say that Davis is unskilled or incapable. Nonetheless, he’s more of a traditional big man than Jokic or Embiid, a point-center and face-up forward-center hybrid. So, unlike Jokic or Embiid, he’s at his best when being led to the trough rather than when he gets there by himself.
As this relates to Lakers, while James has been utilized off-ball more frequently over the years, he’s still far less reliant on being set-up to score than Davis. In a vacuum, this doesn’t make James a bigger factor in the offense than Davis. However, when considering that James is a generational point-forward who contributes significantly to the team’s offense as a scorer and facilitator it does, especially as Davis has been more reliant on James’s assists than any other player since joining the franchise.
Since 2018-19, here are James’s points + assist points created per game:
- 2018-19: 47.5
- 2019-20: 50.8
- 2020-21: 44.8
- 2021-22: 46.7
- 2022-23: 41.5
- 2023-24: 45.9
- 2024-25: 45.2
He’s contributed no less than 35 percent (2022-23) of his team’s offense and as much as 45 percent (2019-20) of it in each of those seasons.
The Last Word On LeBron James & Anthony Davis
There’s no denying that James is more important to the Lakers offensively. Intangibly, James’s leadership is what his teammates look to when the going gets rough, not Davis. James’s teammates likely still fear drawing his wrath. However, while they’ll get a tongue-lashing, their opponents are the ones who’ll get a thrashing when James goes into takeover mode.
Davis is the team’s most impactful defender. In fact, he could be considered either their best or most consistent two-way presence. James’s defensive effort has ramped back up over the years, so Davis still isn’t their most complete player. Nonetheless, he’s like a star middle linebacker, a position that can be considered a defense’s quarterback.
The Lakers likely need both James and Davis at their best, or close to it, to win it all though.
