LeBron James has been performing at a great level lately, especially the last two months. Even though the LA Lakers superstar has been outstanding, his club is still battling for a playoff position in 13th place.
However, if they manage to retain LeBron James‘ form and get the same Anthony Davis, the Lakers may still be able to secure a good seed in the West. If it occurs, JJ Redick observes something that was virtually unthinkable at the beginning of the season:
“Let’s imagine a bunch of what-if scenarios. What happens if they actually make a few trades? What happens if they do finish among the top 5 teams in the Western Conference? We now need to add another name to the deep MVP discussion that is currently going on. There are several participants in the discourse.”
“LeBron James had a +2200 MVP odds at the beginning of the season. He is now at 1400. I don’t believe it’s impossible that the Lakers might secure the top-five spot in the Western Conference if certain circumstances come together.”
If the Los Angeles Lakers‘ superstars aren’t healthy, any transaction that may elevate them to the level of elite championship contenders would still fail. This season, AD has already missed 20 games and will still miss a few more as he continues to build up his conditioning.
The Lakers will be at a disadvantage until they get the big man back, though Davis is allegedly returning sooner rather than later. The Tinseltown team won’t be able to make much of an impact on the standings until AD comes back.
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To make the Los Angeles Lakers serious title contenders, LeBron James and Anthony Davis really need shooters to surround them
LeBron James has had injuries as well. LeBron James has missed 10 games so far and may miss a few more as he fights with persistent foot and ankle problems.
The LA Lakers are the lowest in the NBA after 45 games, averaging just 10.3 three-pointers made out of 30.6 tries per game. Although their efficiency (33.7%) has increased, they are still 27th in the NBA in that department.
The Lakers must be top-notch for the stars to align and propel LeBron James into MVP discussions. That requires necessary shooting, which they cannot do without. JJ Redick offers the following advice on how LeBron James and the Lakers can succeed in the second half of the campaign:
“Bogdanovic is really logical. He’s had a fantastic season in Detroit this year. He has a highly advantageous deal depending on his output. He is a person who blends in well with that group.”
LeBron James lamented that his squad lacked “lasers” a few games into the season. After the season’s halfway point, the situation is still the same.
