You know the pedigree of LeBron James, an all-around player that will go down as one of the best players to have ever graced a basketball court, if not the best. 8 consecutive NBA Finals is something that even the most diehard LeBron skeptics will admit that doing that it takes special talent, skill, dedication, and hard work. While he may have had help in Miami, but when he came back to his hometown, his team wasn’t as talented, but yet again they managed to reach the Finals four times. If we go more into details, his last season with the Cavs, he singlehandedly dragged his team until they reached the Finals.
After getting disappointed 3 times out of the last 4 with the Cavs, he saw that it was time for a new adventure, and what place is better than sunny California. Los Angeles has one of the biggest markets in the world, especially for an NBA player that is looking to become a worldwide name, this was a wise move financially. However, basketball-wise, LeBron knew that he didn’t have the best players, especially with the Western Conference, being the jungle that it is now, having a bunch of young players that haven’t even reached playoffs yet, is quite the risk.
Despite this, LeBron is no fool, he saw that there is potential on this young squad, and the first year of his contract may not be a championship year for him, but the 2nd year, will definitely be a year where he will want more, from the Franchise, from the players and everyone involved. While it’s not completely hopeless. They brought some seasoned veterans in the team that can help the young core develop. The addition of Rajon Rondo at the beginning of the season was one of the smartest moves that the FO has made during this season.
The beginning of the season was very harsh for Lakers, they lost their first three games and they were looking lost out there. No team chemistry, it was just run and gun with some rare sparks of what the showtime 2.0 could look like, but the defensive end was horrible. In those first three games, they conceded 131 points per game, that’s a very high number for a team that wanted to get into playoffs. However, good things come to those who wait and of course to those who do smart trades. On November 6, they signed Tyson Chandler, a player that is not flash but does those small little things that win you games. He is not afraid to fight for any ball, he can box out players like his arms were made of steel. As soon as he joined the team, we started instantly to see the results. They have won 10 out of their last 13 games and at the moment they are on a four-game winning streak.
They have found a winning formula apparently, and I’m sure that the front office and the fans are more than happy, but it’s not that great if we scratch the surface. LeBron James has started to do what he did in Cleveland last year, whenever his team was slacking, he had to bring his A game and bring the bacon home. If we start looking more in depth at the roster, most of them have never played with a superstar in their team, let alone someone of LeBron’s caliber. Lonzo Ball is a sophomore who has underperformed or performed like a true point guard, depends who you ask. He compliments LeBron James perfectly, a defensive-minded player in a team that is offensive-minded is a valuable asset, while Kyle Kuzma has continued to be a solid player with a bright future. The problem with his game is that he’s quite profficient in offense, but in defense he struggles sometimes, especially in off-ball defense, he seems to be lost.
Josh Hart, has been a real spark in the bench, providing valuable minutes while allowing Luke Walton to rest the first unit. That leaves us to Brandon Ingram, who was probably even more hyped with LeBron joining the team, since LeBron isn’t a player that is only scoring-oriented. Surprisingly, ever since Lebron joined, he has been struggling a bit, he can’t find his rhythm, his points per game average has fallen from 16.1 ppg to 15.2 and his 3pt% was 39% last season and this season so far it’s only 32%.
There is still no room for panic, we’re only 24 games into the season and Lakers have been playing their basketball in years, they have a bright future and one of the best players of all time, add to that quite the cap freedom for next year to sign another superstar, and LeBron is proving himself even in the tough Western Conference. I would have to say that things aren’t looking that bad in LALA land.