LeBron James less Lakers are not championship contenders, believes former star

Los Angeles Lakers are struggling to win games without leading superstar LeBron James anchoring their defense.

LeBron James less Lakers are not championship contenders, believes former star

Los Angeles Lakers need LeBron James back soon

Ever since LeBron James suffered an ankle injury, the tide has shifted for the Los Angeles Lakers. His injury stopped the team from continuing their rally in the loss against the Boston Celtics. In the next two games, they have struggled mightily to even mount a challenge.

They lost to the lowly Brooklyn Nets despite Luka Doncic‘s triple double. Then they were blown out by the Milwaukee Bucks, showing the team are nowhere near playoff competitiveness. Now they will start a grueling stretch of games that threatens to throw them out of the playoff spots.

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Admittedly, the Lakers have quite a few injuries to deal with. A few crucial players are struggling to get back to fitness and today against the Denver Nuggets, they will have just one starter in the lineup. But according to former player and ESPN analyst Tim Legler, the problems start with James.

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The defense is really where this team have hung their hat around for the last six weeks. LeBron is a huge part of that. He’s actually having one of the better years of his career. You can just see the lack of physicality without him on the floor. Right now, all that momentum they built up is gone.

Tim Legler said

He added that the lack of a full roster has hurt the Los Angeles Lakers. But LeBron James is the player that sets the tone both defensively and physically. Without him on the floor, they are not being able to stop anyone.

Luka Doncic has to step up

With LeBron James still a while out, the team will play six games in nine days. It is too short a timeframe for those injured players to come back. But former Los Angeles Lakers star Lou Williams believes one player has to step up if they want to avoid sliding down.

There’s only one person that can get them out of that slide until LeBron James gets back. That’s got to be Luka. He’s gotta be prepared to go. Simple and plain.

Lou Williams said

The three-time Sixth Man of the Year explained that the onus will squarely land on Doncic’s shoulders. He did have a high scoring game against the Milwaukee Bucks. But he will have to step it up even more. There are risks of burning him out, but Williams believes if he concentrates on scoring, he will be fine.

That means, the former star wants the rest of the Lakers to step up defensively. They allowed the Bucks to play their game, which should not happen. Those players have to step up the physicality. Else, the franchise is at risk of losing their momentum with the playoffs approaching.

LeBron James is still at least a week away

The Los Angeles Lakers are playing three back-to-back games with a day of rest in between. Those games are crucial as there is a chance the team will lose their momentum if they struggle with fatigue on top of the injuries they already have. They need LeBron James back, but chances of that happening are slim.

I still expect LeBron to miss another week.

Shams Charania said

Shams Charania believes LeBron James will miss this six-game stretch as he continues his recovery. The earliest he can return is in their home clash against the Chicago Bulls on March 22nd. But Charania is not sure if the 40-year-old will rush back.

The goal is to go on a deep playoff run. They need him healthy for that stretch. If Luka Doncic and the rest of the players can hold the fort for a while, James could wait to properly heal his ankle. But they will need him in April when they face the Golden State Warriors and Oklahoma City Thunder.