When it comes to winning the NBA Championships, the Los Angeles Lakers sit at the top with 17 NBA Championship banners hanging in the rafters. Evidently, the Lakers are considered one of the best franchises in the history of the league. But over the last decade or so, the Purple and Gold have been playing like shells of themselves.
After missing the playoffs last season, many expected the organization to improve the team’s roster in the offseason. Unfortunately, the front office failed to do so, and the LeBron James-led team is currently 0-4 this season. Despite the slow start to the season, James is still not panicking.
But one concerning stat that was recently brought to light was the fact that the last time when the Lakers started a season 0-4 was during Kobe Bryant’s last season.
The last time the Lakers started a season 0-4 was during the 2015-16 season, Kobe's final season. He was also 37 (same age as LeBron) during that tenure.
They ended up with a 17-65 record.
This team can't be as bad as that one…can it?
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) October 27, 2022
That season, the Purple and Gold were one of the worst teams in the league and finished with an abysmal record of 17-65. As per our predictions for the season, the Lakers are likely to finish with a record of 30-52 and obviously miss the postseason.
Are The Lakers Wasting LeBron James’ Final Years In The League?
LeBron is all set to turn 38 years old this season, and he has proved that he’s still one of the best players in the league. But the rest of the players around him aren’t able to match his level.
While Kobe Bryant was also 37 years old during his last season with the Lakers and still a decent player, he wasn’t as good as James. Still, an NBA fan on Instagram believes that the Lakers are wasting James’ final years in the league, as they did with Kobe.
Both Kobe and James are considered as two of the best players in the history of the league. So it will be sad to see if James’ final years in the league are met with a similar fate.
But there’s still hope for the Lakers to save their season. The biggest flaw in the current Lakers’ teams is their below-average three-point shooting. They can improve that by targeting a bunch of shooters in a potential trade package around Russell Westbrook. This could be the final effort made by the franchise in order to save this season and provide help to LeBron James.
