LeBron James is a superhuman – if even a human at all. The numbers from his 2017-18 campaign show that: 82 games, 3,026 minutes, 27.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, 9.1 assists. James Harden was the only obstacle preventing him from winning another MVP. Golden State was the only obstacle preventing him from winning another championship.
Joining the Los Angeles Lakers made life for LeBron a lot harder. The weather and lack of Jordan Clarkson and Jeff Green will be nice, yes. But he’s now in the Western Conference and has no proven star talent alongside him. Can they keep up with the Warriors, Rockets, Jazz, Thunder and everyone else?
The more important question seems to be if they care to keep up.
James, signing for three years with a fourth-year player option, will seemingly ride out the rest of his career with the Lakers. He will turn 34 years old during next season and has 54,347 total regular-season and postseason minutes played in his career. James takes care of his body better than anyone else in the NBA, but after 15 seasons of running, jumping, landing and banging, it does not seem outlandish to suggest his body could start breaking down before the end of this contract.
A franchise like the Lakers, desperate to be back at the top, needs to win a championship with LeBron. They’ve won with Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal and many other greats. Now, they need to win with the guy better than all of them.
It won’t be easy, though. The Lakers have set themselves up well for this moment; their roster is essentially a blank canvas. James joined a roster that contained Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart, Ivica Zubac, Moritz Wagner, Svi Mykhailiuk and Luol Deng. So, basically, one big-ass contract and a bunch of young dudes.
This gave Los Angeles the opportunity to get creative. Even after adding James, they had space to pepper in veterans. You… uh… can’t say they didn’t do that. Rajon Rondo, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Lance Stephenson and JaVale McGee all certainly classify as veterans.
Do they help LeBron win this season? Probably not. As of now, the Lakers are looking like a team that will be on the road for Game 1 of the postseason.
James goes to another level in the postseason, but unless two or three of the young guys make massive leaps, LA won’t be much of a threat. Is that OK?
It’s tough because it’s always good to see organizations being smart and patient and not throwing assets at any star that becomes available. Waiting for the Spurs to lower their asking price for Kawhi Leonard is smart… until he gets traded elsewhere. Sure, maybe Damian Lillard is put on the trade market. But is it smart to rely on another star becoming available, especially if that backup is significantly worse than Leonard?
Maybe the Lakers end up with Leonard, or maybe a third team helps him get to the Clippers? Maybe the Sixers pull the trigger?
If the Lakers hope to win a title with LeBron anytime soon, they are going to have to get more around him. Holding onto the young players and letting the Warriors do what they’re going to do this season makes sense. Even if the Lakers add another star or two, Golden State probably has this one in the bag.
With LeBron aging, however, taking a season for granted is dangerous.
LeBron seems to have great respect for Magic Johnson, meaning he probably won’t try to push him and Rob Pelinka around like he did with Cleveland’s front office. If he wants to win now, though, he may try to push Johnson and Pelinka into making a big deal.
What James wants, James will get. LA’s lack of splashes thus far in free agency may not mean they’re done. If the Lakers don’t end up with Leonard or another star by the February trade deadline, it’s because it wasn’t in LeBron’s bigger picture.
