Los Angeles Lakers: LeBron James Can’t Afford This Season

By: Mark T. Wilson

The Los Angeles Lakers are in the midst of a crisis or should we tell the truth and say that LeBron James is in the midst of a crisis? Regardless of what happens this season or next, the Lakers will rebound, eventually. However, James on the other hand, may not. His season has gone great for individual stats. James is right at the top of the NBA in points per game. He’s averaging 30 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists while shooting over 51 percent from the floor. James is killing it but the Lakers are not.

The Lakers are currently in a position to miss the Play-In Tournament with teams such as the New Orleans Pelicans, Portland Trail Blazers, and San Antonio Spurs finding their groove late in the season. Picked as one of the favorites to come out of the Western Conference, the Lakers could be headed for a high lottery selection.

Yes, the Lakers have dealt with injuries this season but what team in the league has not? Anthony Davis has missed a huge portion but this is still a team led and built around and by LeBron James. Each team he has been on has been a blueprint of his doing. So what does that say about him if the Lakers fail to make the Play-In or are ousted in the First Round? Do we continue to offer up excuses?

Despite his scoring surge this season, how can a team with James, Russell Westbrook, Davis, and Carmelo Anthony not make a serious run at the title? Praises are being bestowed upon his shoulders for his feats this season but does any of that matter if his teams continues to fall short while in a Laker uniform? Although he does have a ring with Los Angeles, there is no way a team featuring a healthy James should finish below .500 and facing the Play-In.

While great for basketball, the tournament was created for teams with lesser talent, not one flooded with future Hall of Famers. It’s now time for James and the Lakers to dig deep and find some sort of winning identity. But is it too late? With only a handful of games left, the Lakers cannot afford any more missteps. What’s also concerning is that they face one of the toughest schedules left and yet, here they are still riding the bottom half of the Western Conference.

LeBron James, despite being in his 19th season is showing no signs of slowing up. Injuries are hitting him but a player averaging 30 points should not be giving any excuses. If he was putting up 15 points a game, that could be a huge concern. This is why losing falls on his shoulders. You can’t say you want all the praise when things go right but point the finger at your younger teammates when things go wrong.

I came in with the mindset it was gonna be playoff atmosphere, playoff type implications. But we also have a lot of guys on our ball club that haven’t played in playoff games as well that play big minutes for us. Malik, Wenyen, Austin, Stan, you know Talen is not accustomed to it.

Since joining the Lakers in 2018, the team has won over 50 games just one time. To add more salt to the would, out of those 4 years (including this one) James has led the team to two seasons of under .500 basketball. What’s worse is that the front office traded away or let their young players walk such as Julius Randle, Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Jordan Clarkson just to get the current losing team they have now.

If the losing continues, will the Lakers be forced to trade LeBron and begin their rebuild? He’s a great scorer but not that great of a leader. Arguing with the younger players is not going to get you or them anywhere. Westbrook has taken heavy criticism for his play this year. There are even critics saying that Westbrook is playing himself out of the league or even deserving to be made a Sixth Man. Well, what is LeBron doing?

Regardless of if he stays or goes, LeBron seems to be chasing history instead of wins. He can’t win alone but when you ASK for this team, you have to shoulder the blame. Passing Kareem on the all-time scoring list is a great feat but this is a Lakers organization with winning on the agenda. If he fails to lead them to another title, hell, if he fails to lead them to the playoffs, his legacy in the purple and gold will be tainted.