– Win a playoff series
For the past five seasons, the Los Angeles Lakers have not been in the NBA Playoffs. As one of the best franchises in the NBA, this has been a lengthy drought, and fans want to see meaningful basketball at the end of the season in Los Angeles.
Due to the addition of James, the Lakers should be able to reach the playoffs barring any major injury. James was capable of carrying the Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA Finals, and he should be enough to make sure that the Lakers reach the playoffs this season.
However, while making the playoffs is a great goal, a team with LeBron James should be able to win in the first round of the playoffs assuming they avoid the top seeds in the Western Conference. With the playoff drought being at five years, the Lakers haven’t won a series in the playoffs since the 2011-12 season.
As of now, the Lakers are playing well enough to avoid having to play the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs. After the Warriors, the Lakers are certainly capable of beating any of team in the West in a playoff series. While making the playoffs is a nice goal for the Lakers, we would like to see a playoff series win.