LeBron James believes there is much more to come from Anthony Davis after he posted 40 points and 20 rebounds for the Los Angeles Lakers against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Davis, having moved to Los Angeles as a second superstar alongside James, enjoyed an outstanding night on Tuesday as he led the Lakers to a 120-91 victory.

James was effusive in his praise but suggested Davis still has room for further growth this season.

"I don't even think he's scratched the surface yet," James said. "I think we're all still getting comfortable with one another, he's still getting comfortable out on the floor.

"When he's attacking like that, a guy who shoots 80s, 90s from the free-throw line, that's easy money for him and it's great for our defense as well, our team, to settle our game down like that.

"He was wonderful, spectacular – both offensively and defensively – and we needed it."

Davis was playing through shoulder pain, making his performance even more remarkable, and James was impressed with the way the former New Orleans Pelicans forward dealt with the issue.

"We want him to do what's best for him. If he feels like he can go, which he did, we're all for it," he said. "But this is a marathon for us and we understand that.

"We knew he had a little bit of pain after the last game, so he's been dealing with it the last couple of days, doing everything he can to get ready.

"He did that and obviously to be not even 100 per cent and have a performance like that is pretty cool."

Davis' 40-point haul was greeted with chants of "MVP" from the Lakers crowd, as James highlighted the display as an example of exactly what Los Angeles had hoped to get from the big man.

"We know what we have in AD, and the fans know what they have," he said. "This just solidifies why we went out and got him. [This] was one of those games. He was big-time for us."