Anthony Davis says his first season with the Lakers is ‘everything I imagined’

Last summer, after the Los Angeles Lakers missed the playoffs in their first season with LeBron James on their roster, they traded Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart and three first-round picks to the New Orleans Pelicans for Anthony Davis, two -Superstar in the prime of his career.

At the time, the general consensus was that the Lakers gave up a lot for Davis, who may choose to pull out of his contract and become a free agent in 2020. Even in hindsight, it’s not a bold claim to say that the Pelicans got a loot for Davis. . However, to say that the Lakers gave too much for Davis would be dishonest, especially given how incredible Davis has been for Los Angeles.

In the year since Davis’s trade, the Lakers have gone from being a sub-500 team to the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, and Davis has obviously played a role in their success. Through 62 appearances in the regular season, Davis averaged 26.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.3 blocks and 1.5 steals per game. In the postseason, Davis has taken it to another level, averaging 27.6 points, 10.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.1 steals per game.

Davis’ first season with the Lakers has gone better than anyone could have imagined, or should say, anyone other than Davis himself. After the Lakers’ 119-96 win over the Houston Rockets on Saturday, Davis said this season has gone according to plan.

“It just feels like everything is falling into place,” Davis said. “When I got here, obviously the goal was to win championships, and we are eight victories away. It has been a great process for me. It’s been great to be with the guys that we have, obviously it’s been great to be with ‘Bron, him helping me through everything.

“Obviously at this point now, the Western Conference Finals is new to me, so that process will be fun, but it’s everything I envisioned.”

Photo by Joe Murphy / NBAE via Getty Images

Davis will make his first appearance in the Western Conference Finals of his seven-year career on Friday, when the Lakers will face whoever wins between the LA Clippers and the Denver Nuggets. LeBron James will also make his first career Western Conference Finals appearance, but he obviously played and won a handful of Conference Finals and NBA Finals in his career.

The James and Davis pairing has proven to be a good fit in their first season as teammates, and Frank Vogel said the synergy between their two leaders has had a positive impact on the locker room.

“The fact that they are so cohesive on and off the court really impacts the bonding of our groups and our chemistry,” Vogel said. “It trickles down to the rest of the guys. They both have dominant skills on both sides of the floor. They are both willing passersby. They fit in with what we’re trying to build here in terms of being an offensive and athletic first team, talented and committed on the defensive end.

“All of those things are leading us to success so far and I can’t wait to see how far we can go.”

Davis has already shown enough to justify Los Angeles giving up the amount of assets they gave up for him. If he and James can lead the Lakers to their 17th championship, the assets they surrendered will be an afterthought.

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