Reggie Miller believes that despite his injury history, Anthony Davis is still a better fit alongside LeBron James than Damian Lillard.
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There are few NBA stars who’ve been injured as often as Anthony Davis in the recent past. AD’s on-court impact is absurdly underrated. Whenever the Pelicans forward is fit enough to play a stretch of games, he’s All-NBA First Teams.
There’s only one problem with him, and this drives the average sports fan nuts. AD is an injury-prone big man whose body has to be managed better here onwards. For the Lakers, this would mean throwing the occasional regular-season game, resting him on back-to-backs and such.
However, there is a non-negligible faction of basketball fans who’ve been salivating at the prospect of Dame and LeBron on the same team. The Lakers and Warriors are just 2 teams that are reportedly looking at trades for the Blazers superstar.
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This begs the obvious question – should the Lakers look at trading Anthony Davis for Dame? Dan Patrick, who usually has his ear to the ground with regard to sentiments of sports fans, posed this question to Reggie Miller yesterday.
‘Damian Lillard needs the ball in his hands’: Reggie Miller explains why Anthony Davis fits better with LeBron James
Reggie’s answer was definitive. He raised the point about Lillard’s fit with LeBron and how his best games come with the ball in hand:
“No. Absolutely not. As much as I love him, Damian Lillard has to have the ball in his hands to be successful. That’s what made him great. He’s a great isolation, one-on-one, high pick-and-roll player.”
“LeBron, given what he’s done throughout his career, needs the ball to be successful. I don’t think they would play well off of one another, I just don’t. And I think that’s why Anthony Davis is a perfect complement if he can stay healthy.”
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As things stand, keeping Lillard seems to be a top priority for Neil Olshey and the Blazers’ FO. They do, however, have to surround him with a worthy supporting cast to keep him happy in Portland.
He wants to compete for championships like every other NBA superstar ever. However Lillard manages the rest of his career, not winning a ring will be looked upon as a thing missing from his legacy.
