You don’t have to be an NBA expert to know that the last season didn’t go according to plan for the Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James.
The team had James, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony and a bunch of young, promising players on the roster.
Yet they still ended the year with a 33-49 record and didn’t even make the play-in tournament.
Most 30-point games that ended in losses this season:
18 — LeBron James
16 — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
10 — Trae Young, Joel Embiid pic.twitter.com/dq0V50OZfT— StatMuse (@statmuse) July 5, 2022
James was on fire all season and was having one of his best years yet but he also passed an embarrassing milestone.
Last season, James had the most 30-point games that ended with losses.
James had 18 games where he put up 30 and lost while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder had 16 and Trae Young and Joel Embiid had 10.
This means that James was really pouring his heart into the game but was playing for a team so dysfunctional that it didn’t matter.
Lacking Lakers
Things just weren’t working with the Lakers last season.
There were some bright spots on the roster but it didn’t perform as a cohesive unit.
James was leading, for better or for worse, and this led to him having so many points even during huge losses.
When the team was in doubt and flailing around, they would simply get the ball to James and hope for a miracle.
In the upcoming season, that will have to change – and that means James maybe shouldn’t have the ball as much.
If this is really going to be a team it needs to perform like one, it cannot simply rely on James and hope that everything works out.
If that’s the approach LA has next season, James will have even more 30-point games that result in losses.
NEXT: NBA Analyst Shares Bold Kyrie Irving Prediction