2nd Place: LeBron James and Anthony Davis
This dominant duo also calls LA home: LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Already simply dominant players in their own right, together, they have created a powerhouse team in LA and brought their team to the top of the standings in the Western Conference.
These two men have both had incredible seasons and have brought showtime back to the Lakers. LeBron and AD have brought that run-and-gun style back to LA, creating something reminiscent of the insane passing ability of Magic Johnson and the dominant scoring of Kareem.
LeBron in his 17th season is having another career year. In his second season with the Lakers, James is averaging 25 points per game and a career-high in assists with 10.8 APG. After only playing in 55 games last season, LeBron has played in 49 out of 53 games so far this season. Standing beside LeBron on the court is his fellow All-Star Anthony Davis. Davis in his first season with the Lakers is averaging 26.5 points per game and nearly 10 rebounds per game.
Watching the Lakers this season is an all-around enjoyable experience. There is no denying that the Lakers are one of the best teams in the NBA, they find themselves in first place in the West and a full three games ahead of the second-placed Denver Nuggets.
In my opinion, these two players are two of the most exciting to watch. LeBron is in his 17th season, and for the most part, it in no way looks like it has been that long. He still gets up for monster dunks and can hit a three from just about anywhere beyond the arc. LeBron still passes the ball with precision and has made many highlight plays over the past two seasons with his no-look passes that leave defenders frozen where they stand.
We will see where the Lakers end up at the end of the season. It seems like for now there aren’t many teams that can beat them. I can see LeBron and AD leading the Lakers to at least the Conference Finals and, more likely than not, the NBA Finals.
This season, LeBron James was the lead vote-getter in the NBA and was named All-Star team captain for the third successive season. With his first pick, James selected Davis, which to almost every single NBA fan, makes sense.