Shaq gets brutally honest on the Lakers' championship aspirations

The new-look Los Angeles Lakers haven’t even taken the court, yet people around the NBA are already ruling them out, all because of the age of their veterans. And, while most people should know better than to count LeBron James out, the narrative around the league is that they’re just too old.

The Lakers signed Trevor Ariza, Wayne Ellington, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, and DeAndre Jordan to put them around a 36-year-old star, which may not sound like a recipe for success in today’s NBA.

Nonetheless, Shaquille O’Neal still believes that the Lakers and Brooklyn Nets willhave the upper hand against most young teams because younger teams always struggle in the playoffs.

Shaquille O’Neal Says Age Shouldn’t Be A Concern For The Lakers

“A lot of people always talk about age,” Shaq said. “But show me a young team that dominates. Listen, young teams always make noise, but when they get to the playoffs what do you always say? ‘Oh, they don’t have enough experience.’ The great Carmelo Anthony was right. It’s championship or bust for the Lakers. The Brooklyn Nets and the Lakers have the most experience when it comes to age. I’m not worried about all that young talk.”

That isn’t the first time that Shaq has come in the Lakers’ defense, claiming that — even though they’re pretty old, not many young teams are able to take that step forward and dominate the league:

“They’re older, but until you can show me a young team that has dominated the league, I’m not really worried too much about their age,” Shaq told Complex several weeks ago.

At the end of the day, we’ll just have to wait and see whether these new pieces mesh well altogether and whether they can stay healthy. But, on paper, the Lakers look like a clear-cut candidate right now.