There is no doubt that the Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most historically accomplished franchises in the NBA. They’ve had a lot of success in the past, and their fans expect the team to be competing for a championship every single year.
Former Lakers center Andre Drummond has recently opened up on what it’s like to play for the Lakers, claiming that one has to “be built differently” to play for them, adding that there are a lot of “expectations” when one is playing for the Lakers.
The Lakers is exactly what you think it is man. You gotta be built differently to play for that organization. You gotta be mentally strong not even just on the court, but off the court too, because there’s so much expectations to being a Laker and putting that purple and gold on. Because if you don’t meet that expectation, they’ll let you know you’re not worthy enough to wear that jersey. So you got to play to the best of your ability and play hard, each and every night, regardless of win, lose or draw. You gotta just play hard, and that’s what they respect.
There’s no doubt that there’s a certain level of pressure to perform when one is playing for the Los Angeles Lakers. Some, like Festus Ezeli, have even questioned whether the Lakers are too difficult of a franchise to play for:
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?
When one plays for the Los Angeles Lakers, they are following the footsteps of other greats that came before them. It is easy to see why players feel pressure when playing for that accomplished franchise.
The Los Angeles Lakers did not manage to make the playoffs this year, and the team as a whole was very inconsistent. Hopefully, that changes next season, and perhaps Lakers fans will get to witness greatness once again.
