Although the Los Angeles Lakers currently sit below .500 and out of the Play-In Tournament, they’ve been playing much better basketball as of late.
The Lakers have been able to stay afloat despite Anthony Davis still being sidelined and much of that has to do with LeBron James who has really picked up his offensive production. James has Los Angeles nipping at the heels of almost every Western Conference team and only looks to be getting stronger as the 2022-23 season progresses.
The King attributes most of the team’s recent success to better ball movement and defensive rebounding, but he surely understands that he needs to continue playing at a high level to keep them competitive on most nights.
Seemingly every game James sets some sort of new record, but despite the individual accolades he is locked in on winning games via Dave McMenamin of ESPN:
“I want to win. [The losing is] not sitting well with me,” James said. “I don’t like having accomplishments, and it don’t feel right, when it comes in a losing effort. … So as we sit here right now as a franchise and as a team that’s below .500 — we’ve been playing some good basketball as of late, but we want to and I want to win at the highest level. Breaking records or setting records or passing greats in a losing effort has never been a DNA of mine.”
James has been a little less subtle in recent weeks about his desire to get more help on the current roster as he chases a fifth championship, something the front office has yet to show a real inclination of doing given the team’s record. While the accomplishments have begun to pile up for James, it’s clear at this point that the team is sorely lacking the requisite talent to win a title.
Outside of the 2020 NBA Championship, James’ tenure in Los Angeles has been underwhelming and that’s saying something considering how well he has played this late in his career. It would be a shame for fans to see another wasted season of his greatness, so hopefully general manager Rob Pelinka finds a deal to get him and the Lakers back close to championship contention.
Thomas Bryant believes vibe around Lakers is very solid
After a horrendous start to the season, the Lakers look like they’re figuring some things out on the floor, which has led to more wins. Thomas Bryant has been a big part of the team’s turnaround and he believes the vibes in the organization are positive to say the least.
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