The eyes of the NBA world may be focused elsewhere at the minute, but the Los Angeles Lakers will know they are very much going to be in the spotlight once the season begins. The franchise has a history of success, and LeBron James still plays for them, a recipe for media scrutiny at a level that no other team has to deal with.
The Lakers had a horrific season by their standards during the 2021-22 campaign. The team finished an abysmal 33-49 and was unable to make it to even the play-in tournament in the Western Conference. This is simply not acceptable to their stars or the management, and a bounce-back season is expected.
New Head Coach Darvin Ham came in to replace the championship-winning Frank Vogel. Fresh ideas are on the agenda for the Lakers as they look to get back to contending status, and LeBron James is doing his best to ensure it. According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, James had a meeting with the front office recently to discuss his concerns with the team, as well as strategy.
“While contract dialogue was broached, the majority of the hour-long meeting was about expressing concerns, and hearing out strategies and opinions to assure there wouldn’t be a repeat of last season’s epic failure, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
“James, sources said, drilled home the importance of consistent competitiveness and cohesion, noting that last season’s team didn’t give themselves a chance on many nights. The focus for the future Hall of Famer is competing every night in order to give themselves a chance to compete for a championship.
“Ham agreed with James and reiterated that his main objectives are to hold everyone accountable and foster an atmosphere of selflessness, sources said. He voiced that defensive tenacity needs to be picked up all across the roster and also forewarned that players would have to play new roles and if he sensed reluctance, he wouldn’t hesitate to remove them from the game, sources said.”
With the roster not looking much different from what it was like last season, there will need to be a cultural shift if the Lakers wish to be competitive again. The Clippers and Nuggets are returning to full health, and the Warriors, Suns, Mavericks, Grizzlies, and Timberwolves are also major threats. The Lakers will need to implement some serious changes if they want to get out of the Western Conference next season.
