LeBron James declares Anthony Davis is ‘playing like the MVP of this league’ after latest Lakers performance

The Los Angles Lakers have been on a tear lately, winning eight of their last 10 games, and much of that has to do with the stellar play of big man Anthony Davis.

The eight-time All-Star is averaging 35.3 points, 15.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.9 blocks per game on 64.8 percent shooting from the field over his last nine games. He’s arguably the hottest player in the league right now.

Following Davis’ latest performance, a spectacular 55-point outing against the Washington Wizards, fellow Lakers star LeBron James praised the University of Kentucky product.

“He’s been unbelievable on both sides of the floor,” James said. “Playing like the MVP of this league. Straight dominance. Straight dominance. … I just think he’s hit a switch where he knows how dominant he can be, night in and night out.”

Davis has certainly stepped things up this season, and if the Lakers continue to put together some wins, he might have a good shot at winning the MVP award. It would be the first of his career.

While he would surely love to be named MVP this season, Davis seems to be focused on one thing only.

The Lakers have been able to claw their way to 12th place in the Western Conference after a miserable 2-10 start to the season. They are now 10-12 and just two games back of the Golden State Warriors in sixth place. Furthermore, they have one of the longer active winning streaks in the league, having won three consecutive contests.

Trade rumors continue to surround the organization, and some fans still want the front office to pull the trigger on some type of blockbuster move.

However, at this rate, a big trade may not be needed to get back into title contention. Players seem to understand and appreciate their current roles.

Most notably, point guard Russell Westbrook, who earlier this season seemed like a shoo-in to be traded, looks to be a prime candidate for the league’s Sixth Man of the Year award. He’s currently averaging 15.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game on 42.3 percent shooting from the field and 34.2 percent shooting from beyond the arc as a reserve.

Davis, Westbrook, James and the Lakers will continue their Eastern Conference road trip on Tuesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers, James’ former team.