There are a lot of NBA fans who will tell you not to dismiss the Los Angeles Lakers’ championship odds. “Never count out LeBron James,” they’ll tell you.
But what happens when LeBron James counts out LeBron James?
James gave Qatar-based sports-media company beIN SPORTS his list of six championship contenders (or five, if you don’t count the Golden State Warriors, which are champions, not a championship contender). Among the five non-Warriors teams on James’ list are the Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors
Will the @Lakers win the @NBA championship this season? @KingJames is keeping it cool about his new team's chances. #NBA
Watch part 1 of our exclusive interview here ?https://t.co/K939jOgZal pic.twitter.com/G7I3Zv9T1k
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) September 4, 2018
Most agree that the Lakers aren’t a contender. Not even LeBron – the consensus best player in the world – should be expected to transform a 35-win team into a title team – even with the help of Lance Stephenson, Rajon Rondo, JaVale McGee and Michael Beasley.
James’ Lakers should be favorited to make the playoffs, but around the sixth seed is probably a reasonable expectation.
