Three and a half years removed from their 2020 title run, Lakers owner Jeanie Buss says the race is already on to capture title number 18. This season, despite some flashes of greatness from LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers have struggled to capture the same magic they had years ago, but the team knows that fans expect nothing but the best.
“From the fans perspective, they don’t like to be patient,” said Buss via the LA Times. “Fans want to see the continuity/growth. Laker fans have been spoiled as they should be, but it’s been a long time since we’ve hoisted an NBA Finals in our arena, so we want to get back there.”
It’s no secret that the Lakers operate at a higher standard than the rest of the league. After decades of history, greatness, and glamour, Lakers fans have grown accustomed to success, and anything less than top-tier competitiveness is deemed as a failure in the eyes of the city. While this way of life is not for every player, stars like Kobe Bryant have been able to live up to the standard. In the case of the modern-day Lakers, they feel there is still something left to prove after going three years without a Finals appearance.
A Rocky Tenure For Jeanie
Jeanie Buss seems to understand what it means to be a Laker. After inheriting the franchise from her father, she’s pulled all the stops to ensure the Lakers are successful. She hired Rob Pelinka early to run the front office and then worked with him to bring on Frank Vogel after the arrival of LeBron James. Slowly but surely, the Lakers transformed into a title conder under her watch. But since bringing the Larry O’Brien back home in 2020, the Lakers have struggled to keep up. Thanks in part to poor decision-making from Buss and the front office, the Lakers had to endure years of problems before finally settling on a winning roster late last season.
Of course, none of that includes the drama that played out before the 2020 run. The Lakers were really bad for a long time under Buss and wasted Kobe’s final years in the NBA. Eventually, things hit rock bottom when team President Magic Johnson suddenly resigned over drama with Pelinka. Today, all of that sounds like ancient history but this is what Lakers fans think when they picture the Jeanie Buss era.
Are Lakers Contenders?
Looking ahead, it’s impossible to say the Lakers cannot contend for a title this season. Even with LeBron James at 38 and Anthony Davis playing inconsistent basketball, the pair have shown enough to earn the benefit of the doubt. Through the first 13 games so far, the Lakers have been painfully mediocre but there is some hope for a hot streak soon after Friday’s dominant win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
At 7-6, the Lakers are currently 7th in the West and they are showing flashes of how dangerous they can be at their best. Meanwhile, role-players such as Cam Reddish and Christian Wood are providing an unexpected spark for the team as they earn their spot in the rotation. So far, it’s still too early to say how the Lakers stack up against their Western Conference foes, but everyone on the team knows what the expectation is. Year after year, no matter the circumstances, the Lakers are expected to win and that’s especially true with LeBron James on the roster.
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