On July 9, 2018, LeBron James agreed to a four-year contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The world’s top player had officially joined the Lakers.
At 61 games into the 2018-19 NBA season, the Lakers are in danger of missing the playoffs entirely.
What happened?
Most people would blame the Lakers’ difficulties on the injury bug, which is fair enough. LeBron has missed 18 games this season, yet Los Angeles is only three games back of the eighth seed. They would undoubtedly be a top-8 team right now if LeBron were not sidelined.
Despite LeBron’s presence, the Lakers are simply not equipped to be contenders. The issue is more than just unluckiness caused by injuries.
LeBron James is perhaps the best basketball player in history. He can thrive in any setting. However, the actual prescription for success is to surround LeBron with experienced jump shooters.
It sounds absurd given he’ll most likely depart with the most points in NBA history, but LeBron’s brilliance stems from more than just his scoring ability; lots of legends have scored at his level. LeBron is remarkable because he has the capacity to bring out the best in his teammates.
