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Why Anthony Davis would be a perfect fit next to LeBron

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The Los Angeles Lakers have been waiting for the other shoe to drop ever since they signed LeBron James last summer.

The Anthony Davis sweepstakes are officially underway, and the Lakers are rumored to be in hot pursuit. It remains to be seen if the New Orleans Pelicans are interested in the Lakers' trade assets, or if Davis has insisted on a move to Los Angeles, but the framework of a potential deal is already being sketched out.

Pairing Davis with James would instantly turn the Lakers into title contenders. The closest comparable for James and Davis would be Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the Showtime duo who won five championships.

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The luxury of having a big like Davis is that he does everything at an elite level, and that would give the Lakers nearly infinite flexibility in terms of how they want to play.

James and Davis would be unguardable in the pick-and-roll because they would have a counter against every coverage. Defenses could try to duck under and protect the paint, but James has quietly developed into one of the league's best pull-up 3-point shooters. If the defense chased James off the line, it would become a two-on-one scenario where some helpless big is left to cover both James and Davis at the rim. Davis can also get an open jumper anytime he wants by popping to the perimeter.

Defenses might settle on switching against James and Davis to limit penetration, but that creates more problems. James can easily get his shot off against a center - or, better yet, he could dump it down to Davis in the post and let him work the mismatch against a wing player.

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Though James would still be the No. 1 option, Davis would likely lead the Lakers in scoring through the sheer volume of easy opportunities. Just between running the floor in transition and putbacks off James' drives, Davis should get a dozen points per game. He's never been paired with such an accomplished playmaker, and James has never played with a ruthless finisher like Davis.

Both players stand to benefit: Davis gets acclaim as the leading scorer in a high-profile market, while the 34-year-old James can pace himself for the postseason. Davis wouldn't be reduced to an overqualified spot-up shooter, as Kevin Love and Chris Bosh were, because James is in a different period of his career; he prefers to facilitate rather than finish every possession and accumulate huge scoring totals.

James would only assert control in the fourth, and that should suit Davis just fine because closing games is his lone weakness. The Pelicans lead the league in clutch losses and have ranked in the bottom five in three of the last four seasons. Turns out that it's pretty difficult to run an effective offense through a big man during crunch time. But that responsibility can fall to James, who's already delivered five game-winning buzzer-beaters in the playoffs.

And Davis can cover for James' shortcomings by anchoring the defense. The King can still defend in spurts, but he mostly gets by on positioning and reputation. He needs help. Davis is a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate who has led the league in blocks in three of the last six seasons.

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And finally, if the Lakers are serious about contending, they need to consider Davis' success against the Golden State Warriors.

James has delivered superhuman triple-doubles, 50-point performances, and all manner of clutch plays in The Finals, but he only defeated the Warriors with Kyrie Irving by his side. It was Irving who scored 41 points in Oakland during Game 5 in 2016, and Irving who nailed the winning triple in Game 7. James needs a sidekick on that level.

Davis fits the bill. Even with five All-Stars on the Warriors' roster, they don't have anyone who can guard him. He gave the Warriors all they could handle in the 2015 playoffs, averaging 31 points and 11 rebounds on 56 percent shooting. Davis followed that up with averages of 28 points, 15 rebounds, two steals, and two blocks against the Warriors in the Western Conference semifinals last season. He's scored 28 or more - including a 45-point, 17-rebound effort in 2016 - in seven of his last eight regular-season games versus Golden State.

The Warriors usually lean on Draymond Green to handle the assignment, but he's too small. Davis easily shoots over the top of Green and has outright bullied him around the basket on both ends of the floor.

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He's also even quicker than Green, which is a scary thought:

Courtesy: NBA League Pass

Golden State is short on alternatives. DeMarcus Cousins, working his way back from a torn Achilles, lacks the fitness and mobility to cover Davis on the perimeter. Kevin Durant would already have his hands full tracking James, and he's also too small to guard Davis. Kevon Looney might actually be the Warriors' best bet to match Davis, but keeping him on the floor means leaving at least one All-Star on the bench.

Bringing in Davis to play with James would give the Lakers tremendous flexibility and a significant weapon against the reigning champions. The two players complement each other perfectly and would both benefit personally from Davis joining the Lakers. It's just up to the front office to deliver - though, of course, that's much easier said than done.

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