As one of the best basketball players in the world, there’s no question that LeBron James makes the Lakers better.
But in his first game back from injury on Sunday, the Lakers lost in shocking fashion and lost major ground in the playoff race. Clearly, the Lakers are going to need some time to get right, and former NBA champion Antonio Daniels explained why.
“LeBron James casts a big shadow. So with him coming back, what that does is it take some of the ball-handling responsibility away from Austin Reaves, whose been flourishing. Rui Hachimura didn’t even play yesterday. The return of LeBron changes things. I asked Darvin Ham how well this team is playing right now and trying to implement LeBron back into this without there being a hiccup. And that’s so much easier said than done.”
The #Lakers fell to the #Bulls in LeBron's return yesterday
🏀 @adaniels33 isn’t surprised the team needs time to adjust #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/lrxdHh4PBy
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) March 27, 2023
Could this be the key to success for the modern-day Lakeshow? Instead of relying so much on LeBron and Anthony Davis, perhaps the Lakers should spread the ball more and let guys like Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell run the show from time to time.
Whatever the case, the team will only go as far as its stars take them, and we already know what AD and James are capable of together.
Will Lakers Secure A Playoff Spot?
Currently, the Lakers are 9th in the West and just a game ahead of the Mavericks, who have fallen to 11th after four straight losses.
With the standings so fluid this season, the Lakers have been able to keep their playoff hopes alive and there is even confidence they can win a series or two if things fall the right way.
“They believe they got a legitimate shot to take down Denver,” said Chris Haynes. “They believe they got a legitimate shot to take down Memphis. I don’t know about Phoenix when Kevin Durant is healthy — I haven’t asked around on that front — but there’s no fear at all.”
Needless to say, the Lakers aren’t scared of any team right now, and if they can just manage to squeeze into the playoffs, all bets are off as far as what they can do.
But first, they’ll have to work quickly to acclimate LeBron back in the lineup and re-ignite the chemistry they had while he was out and missing games.
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