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Power forward/center Anthony Davis has been the MVP of the Los Angeles Lakers for much of this season. He's scored an average of 27 points, 12 rebounds, and two assists per game. The averages don't quite do justice to some of the incredible showings he's had, including some astounding 40-50 point games.
In both offense and defense, Davis is a powerhouse on the court. His explosive plays have kept the struggling Lakers alive in what's been a grueling season for the Los Angeles outfit thus far.
This season, the triple threat of Anthony Davis, LeBron James, and Russell Westbrook was expected to heat up the Lakers' chances at glory. Instead, due to a litany of injuries and team cohesion issues, the LA crew lost their first five games. The comeback has been slow and inconsistent, but the most important factor in it has arguably been Anthony Davis.
Now, Davis is set to miss at least a month of action due to a foot injury. In his absence, the main man the team will have to rely on is the same star they've looked to time and time again in recent years: LeBron James.
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Can LeBron James lead the Lakers back to victory in Anthony Davis' absence?
In 2018, James signed with the Lakers as the team hoped to rebuild and move back to the top of the league. In the four years since, the results have been hit-and-miss beyond their impressive 2020 season win. In that time, 'King James' has remained one of the best forwards the sport has ever seen. He was also the key figure in the team's most recent victory, a razor-thin 119-117 clash with the Washington Wizards, where he scored a commendable 33 points.
As essential as his playing is, there's more to James' importance to the team right now. As a multi-time NBA All-Star game captain, LeBron James has proven his mettle as a leader and strategist on the court. For the Lakers, now in a time of potential chaos with Davis out and Westbrook and James himself hurt at the moment, a sense of authority is desperately needed.
This was meant to be the season where "King James" focused on finally breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's insane 38,387 career points record. With an injury-rocked team who just got hammered by the Phoenix Suns on hand, James hitting that milestone this season just became essential.
Offense has been a struggle for the Lakers this season bar the likes of James and Anthony Davis, but it has shown significant improvement lately. Dennis Schroder in particular has stepped up his game of late.
Even if Anthony Davis is gone for longer than a month, as some are fearing, the Los Angeles outfit should in theory be able to weather the storm. The talent is there, and a GOAT-contender in James should be able to lead the way. As it stands, though, the Lakers are going to be major underdogs for most of their games in the coming weeks.
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