Los Angeles Lakers pie chart of blame if they miss the NBA playoffs

With the way things are currently trending, the Los Angeles Lakers will likely miss the postseason for a second straight year. Who is to blame?

A few days ago, it was understandable to be optimistic about the Los Angeles Lakers. It appeared that their new supporting cast was beginning to click and things were looking up for the Lakers. However, that was all rained down over the news that LeBron James would be out an extended amount of time due to a foot injury.

With the recent uncertainty that is revolving around LeBron’s availability for the remainder of the season, it’s looking more and more like the playoffs are in serious jeopardy for the Lakers.

The Los Angeles Lakers look like they will miss the playoffs again

If the LeBron timeline is accurate, that means he will likely miss the majority of the remaining regular season, if not all of it. Even if he does return, he will only play in a handful of games. It would be unfair to expect LeBron to return with, say, five or six games remaining and save the day. For as good as LeBron is, that would be foolish thinking.

If the Lakers can’t qualify for the postseason without LeBron, they probably don’t deserve to be in the playoffs. Under the assumption that they fall short of making the playoffs or lose in the Play-In Tournament, there will be some explaining to do. We explore who is most to blame if the Lakers do end up missing the playoffs for a second-straight season with LeBron.