The Los Angeles Lakers’ season did not end the way they wanted it to. Far from it, in fact. However, expectations will still be sky-high with LeBron James and Luka Dončić teaming up for a full season.
There’s no denying how potent the two of them will be. However, there will be skeptics regarding whether they have enough to guide the Lakers to their 18th title as a franchise. Among those skeptics is three-time NBA champion and Lakers alum Danny Green.
Why Danny Green is Skeptical About the Lakers
During his appearance on “ALL THE SMOKE,” Green acknowledged the Lakers’ obvious talent with James and Dončić. At the same time, he expressed his doubts about the Lakers’ chances, primarily singling out James.
“I think they’re explosive offensively. I think they lack a lot defensively,” Green said. “… I don’t know how many years he (James) has left longer, and it’s just really hard to win a championship when your best player is 40 years old… Next year LeBron going to be 41….He can still average 30, 20-something, but I just don’t see them winning a championship with that formula right now.”
In NBA history, it has been exceedingly rare for a team to win a title with a player in the final days of his NBA career. There’s no telling how much longer James can play at the level he is, but he is entering the final years of his NBA career.
However, if there’s one player who has defied the odds throughout his NBA career, it’s James. He has an impressive habit of continuing to play at an elite level despite already being in his 40s. He’s no longer the NBA’s best player, but he’s still good enough to compete with the league’s best. He is still essentially the league’s best miracle worker.
For the Lakers to have any chance of a title, they must build the best team around him and Dončić for next season. Their playoff elimination at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves was due to their weak frontcourt depth after trading Anthony Davis. The Lakers will need a starting-caliber center to put themselves in the conversation for a title.
The Lakers valiantly tried to adjust to that after the Dončić trade, but it was too glaring a hole for their competitors not to exploit. James can’t do as much as he once did, but he will do his best. Because he’s not the player he was, the Lakers will need the best offseason possible to have a chance.
Green won three titles with the Lakers, Toronto Raptors, and San Antonio Spurs. He won his last title with the Lakers in his lone season with the team.
