The first week of the 2022-23 NBA season is in the books, and the Los Angeles Lakers are in the 14th place in the Western Conference standings after losing a close game against the Portland Trail Blazers.
The LeBron James-led team has started the season with three consecutive defeats, and they are expected to lose more games as they have one of the toughest opening schedules in the NBA. Keeping that in mind, the morale of the team must have taken a hit.
One of the only positives about the Lakers this season is the performance of LeBron James. James is playing in the 20th season of his NBA career and is still by far the best player on the struggling L.A. Lakers.
LeBron James On The Lakers’ Morale Right Now
LBJ isn’t only the best player on the Purple and Gold’s roster, but he’s also their leader. As a result, following the 104-106 defeat against the Trail Blazers, James was asked a plethora of questions in the post-game press conference.
While LeBron avoided questions about Russell Westbrook’s poor form as he believed the media was only trying to set him up by saying something negative about Russ, he gave an interesting answer about what the mood is like in the Lakers’ locker room after a 0-3 start to the season.
(Starts at 4:15):
"We can't shoot a pin in the ocean, but that hasn't stopped us from competing or defending. That's given us a chance in all three games to win." – LeBron James shares his thoughts after a tough loss to the Blazers. pic.twitter.com/NKPiLiKLzv
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) October 23, 2022
“If you’re around a group of guys that are excited after a loss, then that’s the worst business you can be. I’ll leave my frustration and what I have here. Once I drive out the tunnel, I’m leaving it here and that’s it. I gotta move on to tomorrow, how I can get better tomorrow, get ready for this tough road trip that we got coming up in Minnesota and starting in Denver.
Being in the league for 20 years, James has immense experience under his belt. He is aware of the fact that despite having a poor start to the season, the Lakers can make a comeback in the future. But many believe for that to happen, Russ needs to take a backseat. As in the first few games of the season, Brodie has played in an incredibly underwhelming manner.
