History always repeats itself. And if the Los Angeles Lakers are to return to the top of the mountain and win an NBA title, they may remember this latest move from LeBron James as a turning point in their return to the NBA’s elite. In a similar move to the one his buddy Dwyane Wade made over seven years ago after a failed Year 1 with the Miami Heat, it appears that LeBron James is finally ready to move to second fiddle in his team’s offensive attack.
According to Yahoo’s Chris Haynes, LeBron believed it was “imperative” to make sure that the Lakers leadership knew Anthony Davis needs to be the primary focal point of the Lakers offensive attack. Davis is used to being the primary option, but he told Haynes it was a big deal to have LeBron pushing for him to have that role on his team.
“I’ve kind of been a focal-point player my whole career, especially in New Orleans. But first off, to have a guy like LeBron, someone of his caliber, go tell management and ownership and the coaches that he wants me to be the focal point is an honor,” Davis told Yahoo Sports. “I know what comes with that, and that’s a lot of heavy lifting. I want to be able to do that. I think I have the capabilities of doing that. And obviously with the team’s support, it’s going to be a lot easier on me. We have a great team.”
The comparison to Wade, who was arguably just as good as James back in earlier part of the decade, feels apt because LeBron still has plenty of great basketball left in the tank. But with arguably the most talented teammate he’s ever had in Davis, one who has yet to even enter his athletic prime while James enters his age 35 season, LeBron is planning to take a small step to the side in their offensive attack.
But if the move proves to be one that puts the Lakers in the upper echelon of the Western Conference, a small step to the side would prove to be both a gracious and smart step forward towards the next step of LeBron’s All-Time career. However, we’ve also been waiting for this move for a while. Only time will tell if LeBron will be happy to stick to the plan.
