When LeBron James made the announcement in joining the Lakers this off-season, it immediately changed the landscape of the league. On the same note, it created a lot of friction between the Lakers fanbase. The main reason is for the past two decades Los Angeles was ruled by Kobe Bryant. It's well documented that both players are in the conversation as the 'GOAT' and the majority thinks that LeBron chose L.A to stomp on Kobe’s legacy.
Showtime Lakers 2.0
The new look Lakers is indeed promising with a perfect balance of gritty veterans and explosive young guns.
With emerging talents like Kyle Kuzma, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart and Brandon Ingram, Laker fans are almost guaranteed of a playoff berth for the succeeding years. The only problem is, there is only one ball in the game. For them to reach their full potential, NBA experts believe that they must give up at least 1 or 2 of their young players. They might play in a different position, but the majority of the Laker fans picks Kyle Kuzma over Brandon Ingram.
Going back to their first three games, the Lakers showed they can execute the “run and gun” game to perfection. LeBron might be on his 15th year, but he is still freakishly athletic. Also, almost all of them can handle the ball and create shots if they need to.
Unfortunately, four of their emerging players still lack experience under the bright lights. With LeBron and Rondo’s guidance, these young players are in for a masters course in the NBA.
Lakers weakness
The Trail Blazers spoiled the debut of the new look Lakers and it was clear why they’ve lost the game. We often hear the phrase “defense wins championship” and this is the part of the game that they need to fix.
Although they’ve signed defensive specialist like Lance Stephenson and JaVale McGee, the rest of the Lakers should understand that it is a team effort. Probably what Lance and Rondo can inject to the team is also toughness.
LeBron's New Challenge
Also, we all know that LeBron James is an all-time great, he doesn’t need any introduction.
But as great as The King is, he should understand as well that he is in the Western Conference. LeBron literally ruled the Eastern Conference for more than a decade and the last player who was able to do that is the GOAT himself, Michael Jordan. If the Lakers want to be in the position to win it all this year, LeBron needs to make an adjustment early on. However, multiple sports analysts such as Stephen A. Smith of “ESPN First Take” and “FSN’s Undisputed” Skip Bayless thinks it is not enough. Considering that the Los Angeles Lakers are in the Western Conference, we might see some changes in their lineup after the All Star break.
