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It took eight years, but Anthony Davis can finally be called a champion. After suffering through seven years of frustration and disappointment with the New Orleans Pelicans, The Brow has reached the summit in just his first season with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Davis had a magnificent performance in Game 6, finishing with 19 points and 15 rebounds in the title clincher. Though he didn't win Finals MVP, which went to LeBron James, the 6-foot-10 superstar must feel relieved that he can now write “NBA championship” on his already incredible career resume.
NBA players often say that you can't ever get enough of winning. With title No. 1 in the books, Davis might just want to experience this feeling over and over again. In fact, the two-way superstar did say he wants to follow LeBron to nine more Finals.
While that may seem improbable given the age of LBJ, it is likely that the Lakers eke out one or two more titles with their dynamic duo leading the way.
I hope we made you proud. 🙏🐍 pic.twitter.com/PneHpLeb6P
— LakeShow (@LakeShowCP) October 12, 2020
With that said, let's look into the future of Davis' career and predict how many more championships he wins before he hangs up his sneakers for good.
2 More Championships For The Lakers?
As mentioned, Anthony Davis and LeBron James will probably lead Los Angeles to a couple more championships in this current era of Lakers basketball. LeBron still has two years under his current deal. As long as the four-time NBA champion is in Hollywood, they will always remain title favorites.
Meanwhile, Davis has a player option this coming offseason. The former no. 1 overall pick has given no indication so far whether he will opt in to the final year of the five-year pact he signed with the Pelicans in 2016. However, given how his first season alongside LeBron James went, it would be shocking to see him not sign a long term deal with the Lakers after his current deal.
With that, it's highly likely that James and Davis will still be the Lakers' franchise cornerstones for at least the next two years. However, with the NBA loaded with so many talented teams, repeating as champs or winning another one with an aging LeBron might prove to be a major hurdle for Los Angeles.
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Nonetheless, let's be generous to LBJ, AD, and the Lakers and pencil them in for at least one more title win after 2020. So that would total to at least two Larry O'Brien trophies for Davis in the near future.
Post-LeBron James Era
Now, let's move on to the post-LeBron era of Anthony Davis' career. When James retires, the currently 27-year old will likely be at the beginning of his 30s, which is still right in his prime.
However, as amazing as he has been with the Lakers so far, Davis has yet to prove he can win as the main man. Let's face it: James is still running the show in Los Angeles, as far as this season is concerned. Maybe The King's leadership qualities rubs on The Brow and Davis learns to become a winner as the true no. 1 on his team.
It's no secret the Lakers intend to hand the keys to the franchise to Davis at some point. They will likely be able to bring in a viable sidekick for him in the post-LeBron era. However, winning could prove to be challenging for years to come due to the emergence of many young stars around the league.
Perhaps Davis is able to win another championship without LeBron James, depending on who joins him aboard the Laker train in the future. Maybe in his older years, he will join a strong emerging contender and becomes the veteran piece they need to get over the hump.
It's certainly hard to predict how many championships a player will end up. Getting to the NBA Finals is very tough, let alone going all the way to the promised land. For a player of Davis' caliber, perhaps at least three titles could be the number he finishes with when his career is all said and done.
