LeBron James: Anthony Davis Was ‘the Best Player in the League’ During My Absence | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

AP Photo/Ashley Landis

LeBron James returned from a five-game
absence for Friday night’s win over the San Antonio Spurs, and he
praised teammate Anthony Davis for his MVP-level performance while he
was recovering from a groin injury.

“AD was the best player in the
league over the last four-to-five games,” James told reporters. “Just
his numbers and productivity on both sides of the floor. It’s not
just offensively but defensively he’s been super engaged, and tonight
once again he was amazing.”

James and Davis combined for 46 points
in the Lakers’ 105-94 victory over the Spurs, which was the team’s
fourth win in the past five games and improved its record to 6-11.

AD was asked to carry the load for L.A.
while LeBron was out of the lineup, and he responded with one of the
best five-game stretches of his career.

The eight-time All-Star averaged 33.2
points, 17.4 rebounds, 2.6 blocks, 2.2 assists and 2.2 steals while
shooting 59.6 percent from the field in those games.

His strong play continued Friday
despite James’ return, which is a great sign for the Lakers. He
tallied 25 points, 15 boards, four assists, three blocks and a steal
while knocking down 10 of his 13 shots from the field (76.9 percent).

“His voice, leadership, his
playmaking, scoring ability—I think it all came into effect
tonight,” Davis said about LeBron. “Especially down the
stretch, pick-and-roll and calling plays and stuff. I think it was
really good for us.”

In the bigger picture, the Lakers are
finally starting to show some signs of life after a dreadful 2-10
start to the campaign.

The roster still has key holes, led by
outside shooting and a reliable post presence to take some pressure
off Davis, but having their two cornerstone players healthy at the
same time is a great sign. Now the question is whether they can both
stay healthy for an extended period.

If they do, L.A. will have a chance to
start climbing the standings in the Western Conference, which may be
the sign the front office needs to make a few moves to upgrade the
roster.

It’s still a long road back to
contention for the Lakers, but Davis playing at such an elite level
gives them a chance every night regardless of the opponent.