Recent Los Angeles Lakers rumors involve LeBron James, as it was reported that he knew the first year in the purple and gold could be a messy one.
With so many Los Angeles Lakers rumors hitting the news wire in recent weeks, one person has been surprisingly quiet during it all; LeBron James.
James came into the season with some big expectations. He had made the postseason every year since his second season in the NBA and had made it to eight consecutive NBA Finals. Both of those incredible streaks came to an end this year.
A big reason for the disappointing season was the injury that James suffered on Christmas Day against the Golden State Warriors. James injured his groin, derailing the Lakers‘ season in the process.
James would go on to miss 17 consecutive games, the most games James has missed consecutively in his career. James ended up missing the most games in a single season in his career as well, as the team eventually shut him down when they were out of the playoff race.
More from Lake Show Life
- Lakers’ best-case starting 5 in 2022-23 without Kyrie Irving
- Should the Lakers make any of these ‘brutal’ proposed Westbrook trades?
- Mike James takes shots at Steph Curry in favor of Lakers’ LeBron James
- Ryen Russillo sums up Lakers’ Russell Westbrook problem perfectly
- Lakers potentially trying to acquire this recent lottery pick
No one could have predicted what would happen to the Lakers this season. Sure, some people didn’t believe they would be legitimate contenders, but there weren’t many, if any, people who thought they would finish the season 37-45, 11 games out of the playoffs.
The injuries the team endured were just too much to overcome. With so many new faces on the roster, developing chemistry and cohesion was imperative for the team to find success. The injuries hurt any chances of legitimately developing that much-needed camaraderie.
There were challenges the team was faced with and they were unable to overcome enough to get things going. Surprisingly, this is something James sounds like he was prepped for.
According to Sam Amick and Bill Oram of The Athletic, James reportedly knew that the first year with the Lakers could be a tough one. James understood that to get the most out of his Lakers tenure, the first year could be a struggle.
That is a surprising admission, but it just goes to show that James is in this for the long haul in Los Angeles. There were other situations that would have been quicker fixes, but he opted for the Lakers knowing full well that things could be rocky off the bat.
Heading into the second season with the purple and gold, there is a real chance for the organization to take a step forward. With a lottery pick and cap space, it would not be surprising if James is able to lead the Lakers back into the postseason in 2020, ending their six-year drought.