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Anthony Davis knows that the window of LeBron James’ career is coming to an end and he understands that he needs to do more for the Los Angeles Lakers to get back over the hump.
Davis told reporters that he had to “better job helping” James if the NBA all-time leading scorer returns next season.
“Yes, we know the window is always small and obviously he’s not getting any younger,” Davis said. “You know, this is why it’s so important to both of us, and it hurts that we didn’t do it. , more consistency for our ballclub and we’ll come back next year ready to go.”
Aside from a dominant 40-point performance in a narrow Game 1 loss, Davis had a quiet Western Conference Finals against the Denver Nuggets. He capped the streak with a 21-point, 14-rebound outing on Monday night that saw him make just six of his 15 shot attempts.
James, on the contrary, had his best performance in the playoffs, pouring in 40 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. The performance was made even more impressive by the fact that James was playing through a foot injury that required surgery in the offseason.
For the first time in his career, James seemed to understand his mortality in basketball when he spoke to reporters after the game. The game’s all-time leading scorer told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin that he plans to retire.
Although James may not be hanging up his Nikes, there is a heightened sense of urgency from the entire Lakers locker room after a disappointing end to the season.
