Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel fully expects forward LeBron James to turn it up a notch during this season’s NBA playoffs working together with Anthony Davis.
Vogel knows how effective James can be when the playoffs come around, with the coach offering a prediction of what the veteran will look like next to Davis when the postseason starts.
“Just an extension and notch higher of what we’re seeing,” Vogel said. “Every team is different. His role and the parts around him have been different throughout his career. But the way he is playing right now with the shooters around him and the vertical spacing around the rim with JaVale (McGee), Dwight (Howard) and AD, we’re ready to play through Anthony and all the other ways that we do. I think it’ll just be an extension of that and a heightened version of that.”
Prior to last season, James’ teams had reached the NBA Finals in each of the previous eight seasons. During that time, James was teammates with such players as Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love.
Davis, who was acquired by the Lakers during the offseason, is arguably the best player that James has ever played with during the future Hall of Famer’s 17 NBA seasons.
That combination, coupled with the continuing success of the Lakers as a whole this season, offers hope that the team can deliver an extended playoff run. That would be a drastic change from the postseason drought that the Lakers have experienced during the previous six seasons.
James will be bringing his relentless drive to win a championship to the postseason and has three championships to his credit. That’s one reason why Vogel is confident that the combination of James and Davis will be working together at an ever higher level once the stakes rise during the playoffs.
