LeBron James and Anthony Davis looked absolutely unstoppable in the Los Angeles Lakers debut game against the Golden State Warriors.
The two were on the same page all night as they sliced through the Warriors defense with the pick-and-roll in particular looking completely unguardable.
James has long been one of the best playmakers in the league and is almost impossible to stop when he gets a head of steam. Davis is one of the best finishers in the league with a number of different and creative ways to finish in the paint. Add in another excellent finisher in JaVale McGee and one of the league’s best three-point shooters in Danny Green and the Lakers have options all over the floor.
Davis spoke about this following their preseason debut, saying teams will have to pick their poison when trying to guard the pick-and-roll with James and himself, via Lakers:
“It’s tough to cover. You know you got a guy like him going downhill and a guy like me who’s me rolling… who’s a lob threat, you gotta pick your poison. He’s getting to his strong hand, he’s in the paint, and then you got me rolling behind. So either he’s gonna go finish, pocket pass, or a lob. Especially when it’s a clear side, it’s a tough play to guard.”
Calling it tough to guard might be an understatement as the Warriors had no answer. James in the paint is practically impossible to stop and at one point, he got a bucket with all five Warriors surrounding him. To then have to worry about someone of Davis’ caliber rolling behind him is truly a ‘pick your poison’ scenario.
Making it potentially even scarier is the fact that the two are still learning and growing together. It takes players a long time to truly get a feel for each other and know exactly where the other is going to be. Learning their tendencies will only make them even more dangerous and difficult to guard.
James and Davis are two of the most physically imposing players in the league today, but also two of the most skilled and intelligent.
The signs of what the two can do together were shown in the their preseason debut but as they continue to grow together, it will only become more difficult for teams to stop what already seems impossible to stop.
