2. Delicate Balancing Act
The Lakers’ team dynamic changed dramatically once LeBron James signed with them. James was accustomed to contending for championships and had been to the NBA Finals for eight consecutive years.
The strength of the team to that point was the Lakers young core, which featured Brandon Ingram, Ball and Kuzma. Yet not one of them had ever participated in even a single playoff game, much less challenged for a title. By signing with such a young team, James signaled that winning another title was not his primary motivation.
However, LeBron turned 34 this season, and the team realized the window for success while he was still a top dog was somewhat limited. That meant the focus had to be divided between winning now and continuing to develop the young players for the future. The resulting conflict was both inevitable and unavoidable.
Magic assumed that after an early adjustment period, LeBron’s winning ways would naturally rub off on his young teammates. It was thought that James and other veterans like Rajon Rondo would hasten the maturity of the team’s second and third-year youngsters.
But such development doesn’t happen overnight. It created a huge challenge for Luke Walton, as it would have for any other coach: how do you walk the delicate line between trying to win now yet still allow the young players to gain the on-court experience necessary for their growth?
Walton faced this dilemma all season long. He tried testing various player combinations, but his experimenting ended up being criticized because the team lacked a steady rotation. Perhaps a more seasoned coach would have fared better, but nobody can question Luke’s effort. Still, it appears he will lose his job when the season ends, becoming a scapegoat for the team’s troubles.
The construction of the roster created other built-in balancing problems. Players with expiring contracts want to have enough playing time to earn lucrative contracts next season. Aging veterans often take shortcuts that younger players haven’t yet learned, often resulting in missed on-court communication.
LeBron presents difficulty of a different sort. The “greatest player in the world” tag follows every step he takes, often granting him immunity from criticism. Offensively, he is still a major force. He seems to be able to score almost at will on drives to the hoop.
But James’ defense is no longer first or even second rate. He is consistently beaten off the dribble. He often plays free safety on defense but is unable to recover back to his man. And he seldom challenges an opponent at the rim even when he is the last line of defense.
The display of those deficiencies by the team’s best player does not exactly set the best example for the younger players to follow. “Do as I say, not as I do” is not the way it works in the NBA.