LeBron James has been through a lot of struggles in the last few months. His elder son, Bronny, had a heart attack. Prior to that, the previous season ended in a humiliating fashion for the Los Angeles Lakers. Hence, LBJ said earlier that he would have to rethink his future. In other words, he was contemplating retirement soon after the 2022-23 season. Moreover, the news of Bronny’s heart attack did not help in the cause of his return.
Albeit, James recently mentioned that he would like to dedicate this season to his son. As per him, Bronny is recovering well with good speed. But what really changed LBJ’s mind to return to the Lakers is a legitimate chance of winning the championship. Moreover, LeBron James did not play in the preseason game against the Warriors. But he seemed pretty optimistic about the Lakers’ chances of doing something special this season.
LeBron James Hopes The Lakers Will Do Something Special This Season
On the Lakers Media Day, LeBron James mentioned he has high hopes for his team to pick up from where they left off last season. Adding to that, the King mentioned he was not talking about the Western Conference Finals but the epic turnaround from the trade deadline last season. Nobody expected the Lakers to even make the postseason. But they happened to reach the conference finals. LeBron James was happy that the front office kept the core together. Moreover, he was talking about the importance of chemistry in the team’s roster. And it gets easier when the front office keeps them together for multiple seasons.
LeBron James said that it wouldn’t be hard to have chemistry since the core mostly remained the same. Some new guys came into the fold, but James, Anthony Davis, Jarred Vanderbilt, D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, and Max Christie stayed with the Lakers. LeBron James has complete faith in the core and believes teaching won’t be essential with the same core. But the King said the Lakers won’t waste any step and won’t use any shortcuts to any corners. Meanwhile, in the offseason, LeBron James has been training with Rui Hachimura. The King believes he still has a lot left in the tank. He would not leave any stone unturned to win his 5th championship ring.
Lakers Have A Good Chance Of Winning The Title With Depth And Balance
Moreover, Rob Pelinka did a great job of building a perfect roster in the offseason. The Lakers were able to keep the core together. Moreover, they added reinforcements, which made the LA side one of the most balanced this season. On paper, the LA side has a genuine chance of winning the title next season. But they will have to come up with the perfect lineup, as in the starters and on the bench.
Darvin Ham mentioned the Lakers will tinker with the rotation in the training camp. Moreover, the current preseason can give a hint about how successful the Lakers GM and Head Coach have been in the offseason. However, the LA side did not have a great start in the preseason, as the Golden State Warriors beat them in the first game. Nevertheless, both teams were experimenting with their rotations.