In the aftermath of a clutch win over the Wizards on Wednesday, LeBron James warned his team against getting caught up in the seedings. Instead, James reminded his guys to focus on one game at a time and not to worry about things outside their control.
“Our focus is on our next opponent, not what’s going on around us,” said James via Jovan Buha. “We’ll worry about that at the end of the season. Our next opponent is Cleveland… but we’re just excited to get a day off away from the game, I know am.”
LeBron James’ postgame press conference on the Lakers’ win over the Wizards, the road trip and women’s college basketball pic.twitter.com/5RfM5W78eb
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) April 4, 2024
While it may not look like it, the Lakers have been red hot recently. As winners of three straight games, including 8 in their last 10, they’ve had an impressive string of wins over the past few weeks.
Sadly, it hasn’t resulted in any kind of progress in the standings. The Lakers are still 9th in the Conference, with the Warriors fresh on their heels, waiting to move up and take their spot. So, while they are sure to make the post-season, the Lakers will have to come out of the play-in to keep their ambitions alive this year.
While this realization has hit like a brick for many Lakers fans, LeBron is making it a point to keep his team moving and focused on the task in front of them. After tonight’s win in D.C., the Lakers technically have a chance to move up in the standings, but it will take a near-perfect effort going forward to beat out the teams ahead of them, including the Suns, Kings, and Pelicans.
Los Angeles Lakers Have Big Ambitions This Summer
While this season is far from a lost cause for the Lakers, the odds are stacked against them to win the title this year. Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets run the West right now and that will not change unless another team knocks them off early in the playoffs.
But regardless of what happens in this campaign, the Lakers are going all-in on assembling the best team possible for a final championship run with the King. As the clock ticks for LeBron’s career, the Lakers are more desperate than ever to improve the team and make a significant run.
This summer, as Bronny reconsiders his basketball future, James will have an opportunity to stick around with the Lakers for years to come and help them build another title contender before the end of his career.
We already know that Rob Pelinka has several plans in the works, including for players such as Trae Young, Donovan Mitchell, and Kyrie Irving. Whether it’s one of those three or a mystery player, the Lakers are determined to sign their star and create a “big three” that can go toe-to-toe with the best in the West.
If not, LeBron and the Lakers will have to rely on Anthony Davis to carry the load, and there is significant doubt that he can become that type of leader for them.
Needless to say, this summer will be crucial for the organization as they aim to reset the team once again and build it from the ground up around their veteran leader.
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