Anthony Davis and LeBron James have been showing up for Team USA in the pre-Olympic exhibition games. Their brilliant showing has prompted fans to speculate about the Lakers’ Championship window in the upcoming seasons. Since the Lakers won the 2020 Orlando Bubble title, the LBJ-AD duo hasn’t had a whole lot of success. But ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith believes that the duo is capable of another Championship run.
SAS recently discussed LeBron and Davis’ standout performances during the pre-Olympic exhibition games. It can’t be denied that they might as well be the two best players on the stacked Team USA roster. This led to a discussion on First Take about the Lakers’ Championship window.
Host Molly Qerim brought up Austin Rivers’ comments declaring that the duo’s dominance in the recent games suggests that the Lakers’ championship window is still pretty much open. Rivers’ opinion received affirmation from Stephen A. Smith. The ESPN analyst pointed out that Anthony Davis recorded a career-high 76 games during the 2023-24 season while his running mate James made it to 70 games.
Since they are both playing like they are in their prime, the 56-year-old is convinced about their chances for an NBA title. According to SAS, it is now up to Lakers GM Rob Pelinka to find players that can aid AD and LBJ in their quest for a second title together.
Therefore, the key factor that will determine whether the Lakers still have a Championship window open before next year is the pieces Pelinka puts around LeBron and AD this summer. Stephen A. Smith said,
“LeBron is still one of the best players on the planet and by the way so is AD… You see what Anthony Davis and LeBron James are doing, if they’re able to do what we know that they are capable of doing, it’s really a matter of what pieces Pelinka will be able to put around them. I don’t think you can say in a sport of basketball that when you have two superstars, the door is closed.”
The ESPN analyst is spot-on about the Lakers’ need to find the right combinations around their two MVP-level players. During the 2024 playoffs, both of them lacked the help needed to stave off the Nikola Jokic-led Nuggets.
However, the 2024 offseason has been discouraging thus far in that regard.
Is Pelinka doing enough?
The Lakers have been quiet during the 2024 Free Agency. They are one of the only three teams to have not engaged in a major signing this far. In fact, they have lost two key rotation players, Taurean Prince and Spencer Dinwiddie.
It means that as of now, their bench depth is leaner compared to last season. The only big moves the Lakers have made thus far has been drafting rookie sensation Dalton Knecht.
Yes, they did draft Bronny James too but the raw prospect would likely be on the fringes of the rotation. Meanwhile, Knecht can address one huge area of concern for the squad. He is a terrific catch-and-shoot deep-range shooter, a skill that the Lakers dearly missed last season.
But can they rely on a rookie to save them from trouble in the deep Western Conference? The pressure on their GM is at an all-time high to pull off some big-time moves this summer.