Sports Illustrated - 21.10.2019

(Brent) #1
*NEW ACQUISITION

For LEBRON JAMES and
ANTHONY DAVIS, guys who
are well-established,
they have a lot to
prove. I think they’ll be
formidable quickly....
This will be a really
good fit for AD and
LeBron. AD likes to play
off guys, and now he

gets to play with one of
the best facilitators in
the game. In the two-
man game, in pick-and-
roll or dribble handoff,
they’ll be able to draw
so much attention
that it’ll open the floor
up for other guys....
LeBron is still really
competitive and aware
of his place in history,
and he’ll be focused on
trying to push them to

another championship.
Even though he’s up
there in age, if anyone
can overcome that,
it’s probably him....
They have a really
interesting mix of role
players, guys who have
been legit starters
like AVERY BR ADLE Y, RAJON
RONDO and KENTAVIOUS
CALDWELL-POPE. KYLE
KUZMA is emerging and
can really score. He’s

probably not a perfect
fit with LeBron, but he’s
so talented. If he can
hit the spot-up shots
better, it’ll give him a
chance to have much
better synergy....
DANNY GREEN was a huge
pickup because he’s
so used to playing in
pressure situations.
He should be a great
fit next to LeBron....
Signing DWIGHT HOWARD

was an interesting
gamble. Obviously he
can still be productive
when he plays, and they
seem to have made
it clear that if it’s not
working, they’ll cut
ties quickly, so it’s a
low-risk proposition....
They’ll be in the top
half of the West, but I
can see them winning a
championship or taking
an early playoff exit.

Projected Lineup
Bench

ENEMY LINES
A rival scout weighs in

Through last Christmas the Lakers
had the NBA’s ninth-best record,
LeBron James was meshing well
with his new teammates, and on
Dec. 25, L.A. blew out the defending
champion Warriors. During the game, though,
James injured his groin, causing him to miss the
largest chunk of time of his career and sending the
Lakers into a tailspin.
All in all, JAMES SAT OUT 27 GAMES. After
giving up much of their depth to acquire Anthony
Davis, the Lakers obviously can’t afford many
nicks and bruises this season. A more pressing
concern, however, is the consistent availability of
the 34-year-old James. The mileage on his body
is absurd: Counting the playoffs, he has played
7,760 more minutes than 42-year-old Vince Carter.
Logic would dictate that at some point LeBron
will start to wear down. If that happens soon,
then the pressure shifts to Davis, who never took
New Orleans past the second round. —R.N.

27


TELLING STATISTICS


PG
RAJON
RONDO
9.2 PPG; 8.0 APG;
1.2 SPG; 40.5 FG%

SG
DANNY
GREEN*
10.3 PPG; 4.0 RPG;
46.5 FG%; 45.5 3FG%

SF
LEBRON
JAMES
27.4 PPG; 8.5 RPG;
8.3 APG; 51.0 FG%

ANTHONY
DAVIS*
25.9 PPG; 12.0 RPG;
2.4 BPG; 51.7 FG%

PF

Starters
C
DWIGHT
HOWARD*
12.8 PPG; 9.2 RPG;
0.8 SPG; 62.3 FG%

PF
KYLE
KUZMA
18.7 PPG; 5.5 RPG;
45.6 FG%; 30.3 3FG%

SG
KENTAVIOUS
CALDWELL-POPE
11.4 PPG; 2.9 RPG;
43.0 FG%; 34.7 3FG%

93

JOHN W. MCDONOUGH (DAVIS)


LOS ANGELES
2018 – 19 RECORD 37– 45 4th in Pacific
Lakers COACH FRANK VOGEL 1st season with Lakers

∂51 wins ∂Lose in 1st round ∂AD becomes the first teammate of LeBron’s to finish ahead of him in the MVP vote.

THE
WEST

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