After capturing a Championship in 2020, LeBron James and the L.A. Lakers had dreams of hoisting more banners in the years to come.
After a failed campaign in the 2020-21 season, the team acquired Russell Westbrook to reclaim their place at the top of the food chain.
Sadly, the Lakers look to be in even worse shape than they were last year. They’re 7th in the West with a 21-22 record and a number of their most glaring flaws have already been exposed to the world.
After the team’s third straight defeat on Saturday, LeBron James took a moment to address Lakers fans, where he apologized and promised better days ahead.
#LakerNation I apologize and I promise we’ll be better! 👑💜💛
— LeBron James (@KingJames) January 17, 2022
When LeBron came to the Lakers in 2018, it was a major turning point for the franchise. After years of rebuilding in the aftermath of Kobe Bryant’s departure, Bron made the Lakers contenders again overnight.
Since then, he has encountered many ups and downs — but this season may be his biggest challenge yet. With a roster that looks disconnected and (at times) disinterested, things are at an all-time low.
Last week, after a loss to the Kings, LeBron admitted that the team hasn’t been playing up to his standards.
“I only play the game for one reason, it’s to win,” James said. “And no matter what I’ve been doing as far as this season so far, it hasn’t really resulted in as many wins as I would like. So I continue to see ways that I can be better as well. See ways of what I can do both offensively and defensively or for me from a leadership standpoint to help this team get over the hump a little bit more.”
For weeks now, fans have been chipping in with all kinds of suggestions about what the Lakers can do to improve. At this point, no solution seems concrete.
Still, as long as the Lakers have LeBron James, they have a path to success. If he can work a miracle, like he has plenty of times before, this Lakers team can surprise everyone.
In the meantime, it’s best not to count them out. With James making a promise to Laker Nation, it seems he’s ready to do whatever it takes to turn the season around.
