10. Los Angeles Lakers: LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves
A Big 3 where the third member is undrafted Austin Reaves? A year ago, that seemed impossible. In a year or two, some may wonder if Reaves is the fulcrum of a Big 3 in the Los Angeles Lakers’ purple-and-gold.
As with all things in the NBA in the past two decades, it starts with LeBron James. This is the twilight of his career, but a twilight has never looked so good. He remains a dominant offensive force in all facets of the game, able to take over when the lights are brightest, such as the night he became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
James’ age and health is going to become an increased factor as the king enters his 21st season, though. He missed a third of the regular season last year because of a foot injury and has sat out more than 100 games since joining the Lakers.
Anthony Davis was expected to usurp James as the primary star at some point, bt injuries continue to diminish what’s still a legendary career. When healthy, Davis is one of the best big men in the game. But people celebrated last year as a healthy year for him, even when he missed 20 straight games at one point. It’s hard to rely on him hitting a high game threshold.
Then, there’s Reaves. He emerged as a legitimate star last season and earned his extension from the Lakers. He doesn’t mind making the hard plays to help his team succeed, but he can also be lethal from beyond the arc, making him the perfect tertiary scorer in this system.
If James and Davis can stay on the court, there’s no reason this can’t be a top five Big 3 in the NBA this season. There’s no evidence that “if” will be a “when” anytime soon.