In recent years there have been many players who complemented Lebron very well, but who is the best? Or the person who forms an almost perfect duality with him.
LeBron James is now seeking his 10th NBA Finals appearance and fourth championship, his first with the Los Angeles Lakers and teammate Anthony Davis. James has played with some great players during his stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat. How's Davis doing? Is he the best big man James has had since joining the NBA in 2003? Is he James' best teammate at all? Davis may not have a title on his resume, but his individual talent and ability to complement James to near perfection positions the Los Angeles Lakers moving forward as the ideal partner.
James made his first NBA Finals appearance in 2007, a four-game win over Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs. In the middle was Zydrunas Ilgauskas. “The fact that he took Cleveland to the Finals in his first go-around is probably more of a miracle than anything else he has accomplished in his career,” said an Eastern Conference executive. The team's second leading scorer was Larry Hughes (14.9 points per game), followed by Ilgauskas (11.9) and then Drew Gooden (11.1). “Zydrunas is a cult hero in Cleveland,” said a former Western Conference executive. "If he played now, he'd be a perennial All-Star." Besides the sentimental value for Ilgauskas, the heart of the debate is Davis vs. Chris Bosh and Kevin Love. "I don't even think it's close. Anthony Davis is way better than all those guys," the Eastern Conference executive said. "Bosh and Love are really good players, but AD is on a different level. "Bosh was strong, but AD has almost realized his MVP potential," ESPN's Andre 'Snellings said. "If we take fitness into account, I would can say that Davis is the best partner in any position that LeBron has ever had." Bosh's best individual season with James and the Heat was the 2010-11 season when he averaged 18.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per game scored, but his efficiency and shot blocking improved in later seasons as his scoring and rebounding declined “AD is better than Bosh, but Bosh was a beast,” said the former Western Conference executive Bosh and James Harden went to four straight NBA finals, winning back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013. James also went to four straight finals with Love, with a championship in 2016. Bosh and Love also shared contact with elite players Dwyane Wade and Kyrie Irving, a luxury that Davis does not have. Just like these players, Lebron has basketball shoes worldwide and Kyrie Irving has basketball shoes with the legendary flytrap.
"Wade almost had an MVP-caliber season in 2009-10 and he had a title. I'd say Wade, Davis and then Kyrie," the current Western Conference executive said. “But I really believe Davis has a chance to go down as the best of them because he's so talented.” Wade, who retired after the 2018-19 season, has the benefit of a completed career, while both Davis, Irving and Love are still active. Wade led the league in scoring with 30.2 points per game in 2008–09 before James' arrival and then averaged 25.5 points and 4.6 assists in his first year with the Big Three. “I would say Wade at his best was better than AD at his best,” Snellings said. “But Wade and LeBron have more overlap in skills, while Davis complements LeBron perfectly.”
