The Los Angeles Lakers are 2-7 to start the season. They looked solid in back-to-back wins, but fell back to Earth with a couple of tough losses. More than that, their body language and team morale seem quite low right now.
Russell Westbrook has been way more efficient since coming off the bench. Darvin Ham’s team has taken pride in its defense, and it seems like their rotation is taking shape. However, they just can’t score to save their lives.
That’s why LeBron James has been far from satisfied with the team’s performances thus far. When asked about the season and how they’ve fared, the veteran admitted it’s been a unique challenge for him.
NBA News: LeBron James Says This Season Is A Unique Challenge
“Every year is its own challenge,” James said. “I know what I can lean on, but I’m one guy. I can control what I can control and what I can’t control, I can’t worry about. You prepare yourself mentally and physically and spiritually every night to go out for battle and you give your guys energy on the floor.”
“You talk them through things and mistakes, good things, bad things, whatever the case may be to help them through the course… But every year is its own challenge,” James added.“I know for me, I can lean on things that I’ve experienced… but it’d be the same as me trying to explain to my kids what it’s like to grow up the way I grew up. They gonna look at me like ‘get the hell out my face, dad! We got a nanny, a chef, a gated community, private school…’ You can’t. It’s just different.”
Except for their title in the bubble, James’ Lakers tenure has been mostly a failure, although it’s hard to put the blame on him. Still, it’s early in the season, so there’s a chance they’ll turn things around.