Can LeBron James save the Los Angeles Lakers?
When the Los Angeles Lakers signed LeBron James during the 2018 NBA offseason, the expectation was that this was the start of the potential next dynasty for one of the most storied franchises in the Association.
Both the Lakers and LeBron were given a pass after their first season, in which it was a colossal disaster after Los Angeles missed the postseason. However, once the Lakers landed Anthony Davis, the excuses were now gone.
LeBron, with the help of AD, helped lead the Lakers back to the playoffs and the franchise’s first championship since 2010. The supposed dynasty was well underway. LeBron has successfully saved another franchise.
However, their title defense in the playoffs last season when to a crashing end. After AD went down with an injury, LeBron and the Lakers lost in the first round of the playoffs against the eventual Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns.
For two of his first three seasons in Los Angeles, the result has been a huge disappointment for LeBron. In year four, it’s looking more and more like another disappointing season. However, one month into the season, there’s still time for a turnaround.
But if one is coming, it’ll have to come on the back of the one man that started it all – LeBron.
For all its accolades, the supporting cast is what it is in Los Angeles. Even with a healthy AD, this team is an average, at best, team without LeBron dominating in his starring role. It’s his presence that ultimately changes the math for this team. Right now, the Lakers are 10-10 and sitting outside the top 8 in the West standings.
And that has been every much evident in the games that he has played in this season – in games that LeBron suits up, the Lakers are 6-3 with the most impressive game of his season thus far coming against the Indiana Pacers in which he finished with 39 points, six assists, and five rebounds.
That’s not to say that LeBron has to duplicate that in order to help the Lakes move back up the Western Conference standings, but they’re going to need a similar type of leadership performance. In that game, the Lakers were without AD and needed LeBron to reinsert his dominance (in just his third game back from injury).
If the Lakers are going to make a move up the West standings over the next few weeks and eventually evolve into a championship contender, they’re going to need LeBron to save them once again.
The big question, of course, is whether or not he can still do that in what will eventually be his age-37 season. That’s a big question, but when the Lakers signed him to a four-year deal originally, this is exactly what they betted on.