The Los Angeles Lakers won their first game of the 2024-25 NBA season, dispatching the Minnesota Timberwolves, 110-103. The Wolves, who are widely acknowledged to be one of the very best teams in the Western Conference, were outmatched by Anthony Davis.
Davis finished with 36 points, 16 rebounds, four assists and a good enough defensive effort to throw some snark toward reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Rudy Gobert.
Through the first two nights of NBA action, Davis is atop any MVP power rankings, and if he can remain in elite and healthy form, the Lakers will once again be championship favorites.
His complete dominance will have an underrated positive effect on the organization: it will keep LeBron James productive, longer.
James is nearly 40 years old and has started his 22nd NBA season. Father Time will come for him eventually, but if Davis can supplant James as the first option in Los Angeles, the career of the most valuable player of all time could continue, and at a high level.
This season marks James and Davis’s sixth season together, and in all of those seasons, James has had a higher usage rate than Davis.
In the Purple and Gold, James’s career usage percentage is 31.5%, while Davis’s is 28.0%. In Tuesday’s win, Davis ended 34.2% of the Lakers’ possessions, compared to James’s 22.4%.
There is no doubt that James is still an elite player even after all these years, but if Davis can take over as the clear-cut first option, the Lakers will be able to continue to get the best version of himself James has to offer, which will not only benefit their title chances but also their public relations, marketing and jersey sales.