The price seems steep, but I believe it will work out for the Lakers in the long run. Anthony Davis is only 26 years old and has shown the capability to lead a team to the playoffs. He hasn’t advanced far in the postseason, but he has not had a lot of help on his teams. Now that he has some assistance in L.A, I am expecting him to go even further and compete for a championship.
Last year, I wrote an article titled “The end of LeBron James being the best basketball player in the world has started.” Not only did I state that LeBron wasn’t the best anymore, but I also stated that AD will now take his slot. It is only fitting that they are now teammates. Some people may argue that Kawhi Leonard has proven more as a player than Davis; especially since Kawhi has won his second NBA title and Finals MVP trophy. This is a valid argument, that I would probably concede at the moment. The same holds true for the argument that Kevin Durant is better than AD. Hell, a lot of people still consider LeBron as the best player in the league.
I guess you can say that me selecting AD as the best in the NBA, is based more on potential than proof. I would respond to that by saying yes and no. Yes, I’m banking off the potential possibilities of what would happen once he has a good team around him. I think the same way Kevin Durant flourished more after joining the Golden State Warriors, Davis will do the same with the Lakers.
On the other hand, there is proof that Davis is one of the most dominant players in the game on both ends of the floor. He is a career double-double guy that also averages more than two blocks a game. Put it this way, if I had to pick a player to start my franchise with at the moment, I would pick Anthony Davis. I would then go with Kevin Durant; healthy or not. My third pick would be Kahwi and then I would go with LeBron or Joel Embiid. Basically, those are my current top five players in the NBA. Most people would not agree with those picks right now, but after next season, I think they will change their minds.