It’s been an up and down seasons for the Los Angeles Lakers so far, but they went into the All-Star break tied for fifth in the Western Conference at 33-21 despite Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves all missing time.
Injuries have been a theme for the Lakers as all of their key role players have missed time as well. So while the team has some key weaknesses that they opted to not address at the trade deadline, there is still hope that they can get healthy and make a run at a championship.
While the outside world may not fully believe that, there is confidence in the Lakers’ locker room. Bronny James recently stated that the team believes they can compete for a title, and Doncic echoed those thoughts in an interview with Chris Haynes on NBATV during All-Star Weekend:
“Obviously we’re trying to win the championship. I think we can do it, we have the team for it. But obviously we’ve had a lot of injuries, me, Bron, AR, everybody has been out some time. So now coming back from All-Star, I think everybody is healthy, so that will be a good test for us.”
Doncic will be key to that as he missed the final four games before the All-Star break with a hamstring strain. He is expected to be ready for the second half of the season though, so the Lakers should have a chance to see what their roster looks like fully healthy for really the first time.
While the Western Conference is as loaded as ever, whenever you have a healthy Doncic, along with James, Reaves and others, you have at least a puncher’s chance if you’re the Lakers in a seven-game playoff series.
LeBron James loves everything about Luka Doncic
The Lakers’ championship hopes will also depend on how well Luka Doncic and LeBron James can gel together on the court. Off it though, James recently said that he loves everything about his co-star.
“Just trying to lead by example, showing him the way, using my voice, using my example, using everything I can,” James told the California Post. “He’s now. It’s not like he’s next. He’s right now. I just love the kid. I love everything about him. I just want him to take his journey as far as he wants to go. And I’m happy to be a small part of his journey. Hopefully, he can take something from me.”
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