The Los Angeles Lakers entered the season as the team to beat in the NBA. They’re the defending champions and reinforced their squad with some impressive pieces like Montrezl Harrell and Dennis Schroder.
However, the fact that they’ve been forced to play without Anthony Davis for a long stretch, and given how well other teams have fared, has made some people question whether the Los Angeles Lakers have what it takes to come out of the Western Conference as the first seed.
Then again, LeBron James seems completely unbothered by this situation, and went as far as to say that the team hasn’t even discussed the possibility of finishing on top of the conference:
“If we get to a point where we can capture it, why not, but we haven’t talked about it all year,” said LeBron, as quoted by Mike Trudell.
Caruso said the Lakers are of course always trying to win, but they’re not watching the standings.
"Our goal isn’t to finish the regular season first in the West, it’s to win a championship."
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) March 19, 2021
The Lakers seem to be in the same page right now, as Alex Caruso also said that they’re not thinking about seeding and their only goal in mind is winning another NBA Championship:
“Our goal isn’t to finish the regular season first in the West, it’s to win a championship,” added Alex Caruso.
LeBron asked about the No. 1 seed:
"If we get to a point where we can capture it, why not, but we haven’t talked about it all year.”
The two most important things, he said: being healthy, and playing championship level basketball.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) March 19, 2021
The Lakers surely have what it takes to win the West. Even without Davis, they’re locked in at the 2nd spot with a 28-13 record, just 1.5 games behind the NBA-best Utah Jazz.
