The Los Angeles Lakers are well known as a historical franchise with many championships. The pressure to succeed in Los Angeles is very high, with fans often expecting the team to compete at a high level.
Former player Festus Ezeli has recently questioned whether the Lakers are too difficult to play for. He pointed to the fact that a lot of the young players that were called “trash” on the Lakers have all become “key players for other franchises” with some even becoming All-Stars and franchise players.
All the young players that apparently sucked in LA (Lonzo, Caruso, Ingram, Randle, Hart) all got traded and all have been key players for other franchises, some all stars and franchise players
Is LA just a tough place to play? Is it distracting? What is it?
— Festus Ezeli (@FestusEzeli) January 16, 2022
All the young players that apparently sucked in LA (Lonzo, Caruso, Ingram, Randle, Hart) all got traded and all have been key players for other franchises, some all stars and franchise players Is LA just a tough place to play? Is it distracting? What is it?
Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, and Josh Hart were part of the Anthony Davis trade, a transaction that directly led to a championship for the Los Angeles Lakers. There’s no question it was a good move.
With that being said, Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart are indeed playing much better than they were in Los Angeles for New Orleans, and Josh Hart once even claimed that getting traded to New Orleans was the best thing to happen to Brandon Ingram. Lonzo Ball is thriving with the Chicago Bulls as well. Julius Randle has become an All-Star for the Knicks since leaving the Lakers, and Alex Caruso’s absence has definitely been felt on the defensive end by the Lakers this season.
It is easy to see why the Los Angeles Lakers would be a tough team to play for. There is a certain expectation for championship success, and the Lakers often sign stars outright rather than trying to develop talented young players into stars. To be fair, there have also been a lot of players that have been more successful in the Los Angeles environment, so it definitely depends on everyone’s unique situation and what they prefer from a playing environment.
