- Report: Lakers have the most interest in Kyrie Irving
- Darvin Ham and Rob Pelinka have had multiple meetings with Russell Westbrook, imploring him to be defense-1st player
- 3 reasons the Lakers should stay far away from Kyrie Irving
- Report: Lakers make trade for 2nd-round pick in 2022 NBA Draft
- Brian Windhorst says Kyrie Irving joining Lakers for mid-level exception can’t be ruled out
- Western Conference executive says ‘most likely scenario’ is Russell Westbrook going back to OKC Thunder
- Report: Kyrie Irving has had ‘recent contact’ with LeBron James to ‘presumably discuss a potential reunion’
- Report: Lakers considered ‘most significant’ threat to land Kyrie Irving
- Report: Lakers, Celtics and Suns among teams expected to show ‘strong’ interest in Nicolas Batum
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the best hot dog topping: ‘The tears of the 1985 Celtics when they lost to the Lakers in the Finals’
Former NBA executive says Anthony Davis is ‘special’ but needs guard like Rajon Rondo to ‘be great’
- Updated: September 1, 2021

An anonymous former NBA executive seems to think that Los Angeles Lakers superstar Anthony Davis is at his best when he’s playing alongside a guard like Rajon Rondo.
“AD is special, but he needs a guard like Rondo to be great,” the former executive told Bleacher Report. “But paring LeBron [James] and AD, all bets are off.”
Davis’ first season with the Lakers was certainly superior to his second season with the team. In the 2019-20 campaign, he averaged 26.1 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. In the 2020-21 campaign, he averaged 21.8 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game.
It’s possible that this is a coincidence, but Davis’ impressive 2019-20 season came when Rondo was a member of the team. Davis’ underwhelming 2020-21 campaign came without Rondo.
The 28-year-old Davis does seem to flourish when he’s playing alongside a truly elite playmaker.
Fortunately, the Lakers are going to have no shortage of talented distributors in the 2021-22 season. With Russell Westbrook and Rondo both joining the mix, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Davis return to form.
L.A.’s roster is in great shape, and the organization is looking to win its second title in a span of three seasons.