Many feel that after the trade deadline, the Los Angeles Lakers are championship contenders. Well, there’s one person who doesn’t; Charles Barkley. Barkley spoke on Inside The NBA about why he feels that the current roster is far from a contender, and will be exposed by better teams like the Thunder, Rockets, Grizzlies, and the Mavericks. Others on the panel did call Barkley out for his comments.
“The Mavericks are going to have a chance to win a championship, this year. The Lakers don’t have a chance to win the championship this year, the Mavs do. OKC is the team to beat. I don’t think the Lakers are better than the Mavs. I’m not sure they’re better than Memphis. I’m not sure they’re better than the Rockets.”
“In my opinion, they’re going to stay at five. They’re not going to be good defensively. It’s gonna be a really hard adjustment for Luka Doncic. I think they’re going to have a hard time playing because they’re both ball-dominant. LeBron can get away with that. Luka has never played without the ball.”
“He’s going to have the ball probably less than he’s ever had it in his life. LeBron is so great, he can make the adjustment. But Luka is going to have to learn to play faster because they’re not going to… do things like he did with the Mavericks… You just can’t put great players together and think it’s going to work.”
This isn’t the first time Barkley has expressed his skepticism toward the pairing of Luka Doncic and LeBron James, flat-out saying a few days ago that it won’t work.
Charles Barkley might make some salient points, but it is hard to acknowledge the validity of his words given how critical Barkley is periodically of the Lakers. And considering how he recently changed his tune toward Anthony Davis after he joined the Mavericks, it is hard to believe that Barkley’s criticisms are coming from a place of sincerity.
Luka Doncic Will Make A Big Impact
Regardless of what Charles Barkley says, there is almost no way that a pairing of LeBron James and Luka Doncic won’t do well. The Los Angeles Lakers are desperate to try and build their team around Luka Doncic, and have even asked LeBron to mentor him over the next few years to ensure that he can aptly be the face of their franchise for years to come.
Doncic was playing well for the Mavericks before he got traded, averaging 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 7.8 assists, 2.0 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game while shooting 46.4% from the field, 35.4% from beyond the arc, and 76.7% from the free-throw line. Prior to his injury, he was playing some excellent basketball.
The Lakers will be hoping that he eventually gets back to this form once he returns to the court for them. LeBron James will be doing everything in his power to make sure that the transition for Doncic is as smooth as possible.
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