Coming into the 2021-22 NBA, there was a lot of concern for the Los Angeles Lakers team because of the average age of the team. But LeBron James’ desire to prove the doubters wrong coupled with the caliber of players on the team made the Lakers the favorites from the Western Conference.
Unfortunately, the Lakers have not had their dream start and fans are beginning to lose hope in their ability to contend for the championship. Despite their slow start, LeBron has said he will not make any change to the roster if given the chance.
Via Lakers Nation:
LeBron doesn’t feel the #Lakers need to make a change to their roster:
“I love every guy in this locker room and I believe in what we’re capable of doing once we get more game reps."
— Lakers Nation (@LakersNation) December 6, 2021
“I love every guy in this locker room, and I believe in what we’re capable of doing once we get more game reps.”
Consistency has been the biggest problem for the Lakers as they’ve failed to go on a winning run. Anthony Davis said the team can win at least 10 straight games but believe they are lacking the right mindset to accomplish that.
Injuries have also hampered the Lakers season as they have played a good number of games without a few key players. LeBron has missed half of the Lakers’ 24 games being unavailable for several reasons, with the longest due to an abdominal strain. Trevor Ariza and Kendrick Nunn are yet to feature for the Lakers this season.
LeBron undoubtedly trusts the players on the roster and is eager to see how they’d gel once everyone is healthy and get more playtime. So far so good, the issue of Russell Westbrook being a good fit has not been much of a problem because they have shared the ball well. Although Russ’ reduced production could be attributed to the reduction in his ball handling duties.
There is so much for the Lakers to figure out fast if they hope to be seen as contenders once again. LeBron staying on the court for longer will also be key to their success, meaning LeBron James will have to spend a lot more time on the floor.
