Ranking the 12 best players that LeBron James has played with
By Cal Durrett
LeBron Teammate #2: Anthony Davis
Los Angeles Lakers power forward/center Anthony Davis is about to enter his fifth season as LeBron’s teammate. Still, he is already the third-best player to ever play alongside him in his 20-year career.
Considering that the Lakers gave up the farm to acquire Davis, including then-future all-star Brandon Ingram, he has lived up to expectations thus far. Davis played some of the best basketball of his career during the Lakers’ 2020 title run, where they beat the Heat in six games during the NBA Bubble.
He was also critical to the Lakers’ improbable 2023 run to the Western Conference Finals and was recently rewarded with a historic 3-year, 186 million-dollar extension as a result. While that is a questionable decision, he has been incredibly productive in his four seasons as a Lakers, averaging 24.6 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.1 blocks, and 1.3 steals per game.
With LeBron entering season 21, both he and the Lakers will need Davis to continue to play at a top-10 level to keep the team in title contention. Given his defensive impact and his impressive offensive numbers, that appears likely, though he will need to stay healthy to do so.