This past summer, the Los Angeles Lakers were one of the top three teams with a chance to sign superstar Kawhi Leonard. However, Leonard ultimately decided to sign with the other team in L.A., the Los Angeles Clippers.
During All-Star Media Day, Lakers superstar Anthony Davis was asked if he ever thinks about what might have been if Leonard chose to sign with the Lakers last summer.
Via Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register:
“At the time when it was going down before he decided, you think about what the team could be,” Davis told reporters Saturday in Chicago. “The defensive mindset we could've had, the scoring ability we could've had. Me, him and LeBron [James] is obviously something that teams would fear.”
Nonetheless, even without Leonard, the Lakers have played phenomenal basketball, leading the Western Conference with a 41-12 record. However, the Lakers are 0-2 against the Clippers and have struggled to defend Leonard. During their two matchups, Leonard has averaged 32.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists, and he has taken over in the fourth quarter.
In the same question, Davis also expressed that he respects Leonard's decision to choose the Clippers over the Lakers because he made the league more “interesting” and “fun” because it spread the elite talent out more:
“I think he just made the league interesting,” Davis said. “He made the league fun. And that's the great thing about sports. You never know what's going to happen. Now we kind of have this, as you guys would say, quote-unquote rivalry in L.A., so it's fun.”
Leonard will be on the same team as LeBron James and Davis for the All-Star Game on Sunday. We'll get a glimpse of what could've been on the Lakers during Sunday's game. It should be quite the sight to see.
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