The Los Angeles Lakers have one of the best rosters on paper, but it hasn’t consistently translated to wins. The team is led by Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves. James is entering the final one or two years of his career, but he wants those years to be with a contender.
“LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” Rich Paul told ESPN. “He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we’ve had for eight years with Jeanie [Buss] and Rob [Pelinka] and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.”
Before this weekend, the Lakers had lost three straight games. Head coach JJ Redick believes the team’s struggles stem from not being able to move the ball effectively.
“That’s, again, it’s something we talk about all the time. We’re a better basketball team. We win more games if we have more potential assists. And get more assists,” Redick said after a loss to the Boston Celtics.
Now, the Lakers have won two in a row after beating the Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings. After the Kings win, Rui Hachimura commented on LA’s up-and-down season.
“When we play good, like really good, we’re looking like a championship team … But when we’re not — we have a lot of time that we’re not — we look like we’re literally out of the playoffs team. … We kind of have to focus,” Hachimura told the media.
The Lakers are at their best when they take pride on both the defensive and offensive ends. However, when only one side of the game is working, the team tends to look like a bottom-of-the-pack squad.
LA is expected to make the playoffs in some capacity, but the bigger question is which version of the team will show up. They were eliminated in the first round last season and could easily find themselves in the same spot again this year.
