It's not often Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James find himself in a situation where he might not even be the best player on his own team. As a matter of fact, aside from his first year with the Miami Heat during the 2010-11 campaign when Dwyane Wade had an argument, that has never happened.
Until now.
Over the weekend, the Lakers made a blockbuster trade in landing superstar big man Anthony Davis, and while Davis is not nearly as accomplished as James, there are some who might say he is actually a better player than James at this stage of their careers.
Of course, LeBron is probably still better, but the fact that it's even a discussion says an awful lot about just how good Davis is, and that begs the question: is Davis the best teammate James has ever had?
James has had some incredible teammates over the course of his career. Wade. Chris Bosh. Kyrie Irving. Kevin Love.
But outside of Wade, none of his other teammates can really state their case for being better than Davis. Sure, Irving is more playoff proven, but overall, he is not even remotely close to the player that Davis is.
So, is Davis better than Wade was when James first arrived in Miami?
Overall, yes. There really isn't much that Davis can't do. No, he isn't a good three-point shooter, but otherwise, Davis is at least solid at everything.
But just because Davis is a better player than Wade does not mean that he will be a better teammate. The jury is still out on that one.
Remember: James won back-to-back titles alongside of Wade in 2012 and 2013 and went to four straight Finals with him overall. They were one of the most dynamic duos this league has ever seen during their relatively brief run together, and they had an incredible chemistry that James obviously still has to form with Davis.
We really don't have any idea how James and Davis are going to play together with the Lakers. Now, most likely, they'll be fantastic, as Davis should represent an outstanding pick-and-roll partner for James and will help him significantly on the defensive end.
Still, as of now, that is all in theory. We need to see LeBron and AD actually on the court with one another before we can elevate Davis to Wade's level in terms of his value and connection to James as a teammate.
It also helped that James and Wade were the best of friends long before the two teamed up during the summer of 2010, so it's going to be difficult for anyone to really match the bond and rapport that James and Wade had.
But Davis might be the next best thing.
One thing we do need to keep in mind is that James turns 35 years old in December, so LeBron may need to lean on the 26-year-old Davis more than he ever did Wade, especially given the fact that James missed some time this past season due to a groin injury.
As a result, there may actually be some times where James actually defers to the younger, sprier Davis, and that may actually be as soon as next season.
Realistically speaking, Davis may very well end up being the best thing that has ever happened to LeBron, particularly at this rather vulnerable junction of his career, but in order to top Wade, Davis is going to have to win a couple of titles alongside of James.
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