After a bumpy start to the 2021-22 NBA season, the Los Angeles Lakers are slowly but surely getting back on track. They are currently 15-13 and hold the 6th seed in the Western Conference. The credit goes to none other than LeBron James.
Since James returned to the roster, the Lakers have been playing much better. In fact, they look like a well-oiled machine. But that begs the question: are the Lakers too reliant on James? Well, as things stand right now, the answer to that question is yes.
James, 36, is arguably the best player in the world, but even the best of the best need support from their teammates in the longer run. To make sure that LBJ doesn’t have to shoulder the entire burden, the organization traded for Russell Westbrook in the offseason.
So far Russ has been average at best. He has had some great games here and there, but usually, the turnovers have been a glaring issue for the former MVP. An anonymous NBA scout shed some more light on the issue as he blamed LeBron James for badly constructing the team.
Via Bleacher Report:
“LeBron’s a bad GM; Russ is not a good fit there. He doesn’t need an older roster around him. They still need LeBron to do everything—not a good recipe for this stage of his career.”
Considering the Lakers have completely revamped their roster this past offseason, it might take time for them to settle in. At the end of the day, the issue remains the Lakers are still too reliant on James.
Throughout his career, James has fulfilled the role of the superstar on most of the teams he has been a part of. Although he can still do it, he shouldn’t be required to do so. With the likes of Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, Rajon Rondo, Dwight Howard, and many more players on the roster, LeBron deserves some rest.
After all, the same scout also believes that LeBron James is no longer the best player in the world anymore.
The Lakers are currently on a two-game winning streak and will hope to further increase it. This will inject the team with some much-needed morale boost and help their case to potentially will the 2022 NBA Championship.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrfvZ6J1a_Q
