Ahead of the game against the Suns, Lakers star LeBron James reflected on the season so far and shared his thoughts on how they can turn things around. James has been on a tear when it comes to playmaking lately and he believes more passing team-wide will help to result in more wins.
“Obviously every game has its own challenges,” said James. “But I will say the year that we won a championship, I led the league in assists. And not comparing that team because that’s a hell of a team that year when we won it but it’s always been a good ingredient when I have those good-assist games where I feel like everybody’s getting involved but when I have those high assists, most of them go to AD, and that means that’s very well. That works well for our team because he’s big time for us.”
James admitted that the Lakers can’t win without Anthony Davis but both he and Davis have been healthy this season with the majority of games played going into February. Even so, the Lakers are just 19-20 on the season and are on track for a painfully mediocre finish in the Western Conference.
Lakers Are Desperate For Answers
After a hot start to the season, there was optimism that the Lakers could establish themselves as a top-four team in the West this season. But over the past few weeks, it’s become clear that the Purple and Gold are still a tier or two below the leading teams like Denver, Oklahoma City, and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Unlike in previous seasons, the biggest problem for the team has been hasn’t been health-related.
The real source of problems for the organization revolves around the supporting cast. Aside from Austin Reaves, none of the role-players have been consistent this season and that includes D’Angelo Russell, who was a major part of their 2022 Conference Finals run. With no solutions on the inside, and no plans to part ways with Darvin Ham, it remains to be seen how the Lakers will respond to their mediocre play this season but LeBron James deserves better and you can bet he’ll be putting pressure on the franchise to make some moves this February.
A Busy Trade Season
The Lakers don’t have a ton of assets to work with this season, especially if they are unwilling to include Reaves in their negotiations. Regardless, the Lakers are expected to be active in talks this season and they will have their hand in a number of pursuits. Based on previous reports, we know that the team is prioritizing shooting, ball handling, and speed in the backcourt which makes sense given their ongoing struggles at the position.
No doubt, things will get awkward in Los Angeles as the rumors ramp up and the pressure builds to win games and stop the bleeding before someone is forced out. But for a Lakers team whose title window is closing fast, they cannot afford to be patient with the process. They need to win big, and it needs to happen now while LeBron still has some good years left. As bad as it looks, it could only take one or two more moves to change the situation and we’ve already seen them overcome these odds before. But until a trade comes, the Lakers need to lock in on the court and follow LeBron’s lead on both ends of the floor.
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