Is LeBron James Cause of Lakers’ Unsuccessful Season?

The 2018-19 season seems to have fallen apart, since the Los Angeles Lakers will not be competing in the playoffs for the sixth year in a row.

Days before LeBron James could return to the court, point guard Lonzo Ball of the Los Angeles Lakers suffered a season-ending injury. This was devastating news as Ball was a key player to the Lakers defense. With both Ball and James out, it had a negative impact on the Lakers defense and offense. Not long after, there was speculation of James’ involvement in putting nine players on the trading block in exchange for Anthony Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans. The trading deadline soon approached with no change in the Lakers’ line up. Lakers General Manager Magic Johnson announced they were never going to follow through with the trade. Tyson Chandler, JaVale McGee, and Rajon Rondo, all with one-year contracts and years of experience became jittery once they realized that they had no trade value. With reduced playing time for the Los Angeles Lakers, their hopes and dreams of getting another high-paid contract started to fade away.

The return of James to the line up added another toll to their defense. Many were speculating that he rushed the healing of his groin injury as his lack of effort was very noticeable on the court. James’ atrocious performance only worsened the situation. James’ lack of effort on defense affected the performance of others. A bad defense will look something like this: leaving players wide open and miscommunication on both defense and offense. The Lakers’ actions enabled their opponents to dismantle their defense from inside the paint.

Earlier in this season, the Lakers promised a small ball line-up, with James in the center. James simply refused to guard the opposing team’s big man, making Kyle Kuzma, 6’9, guard them; this was a huge mistake as Kuzma did not stand a chance. This was definitely not Kuzma’s fault — the times James did defend, it was done half-heartedly. James’ lousy actions were noticeable as you could clearly see him unenthusiastically closing out opponents or see him watch opponents blow right past him for an easy two-point shot.

Can the Lakers acquire another superstar in the coming season? Is James willing to develop the young talent can get them prepared for next year? Is James going get the Lakers into the playoffs next year?

It goes without saying that James is still one of the best basketball players in the world. He has broken countless records and is fourth on the all-time scoring list — a major achievement. James also has three championship rings and is a four-time NBA MVP (Most Valuable Player).