Everybody around NBA circles shared their thoughts on the Los Angeles Lakers before the start of the season.
Some said they were too old, some said they made a mistake by giving up their depth, some claimed that adding Russell Westbrook would only make them better.
Fast-forward to today and it seems like the former were right all along, as the team has struggled to stay healthy and there are some serious chemistry and spacing issues when their stars are on the floor.
Lakers superstar LeBron James is well aware of that, and he recently said that it'll take some more time before he and Westbrook are finally on the same page:
“We haven’t had enough games together to know exactly what’s gonna work the best for our team long term," James said, according to ClutchPoints.
That was one of the biggest concerns of pairing two non-shooting, ball-dominant playamkers who need the ball to be at their best. But he's still confident in their ability to meet somewhere in the middle.
LeBron has missed nearly half of the season with multiple injuries and even a false positive COVID-19 test.
And even though he admitted that being in and out of the rotation has messed up with his rhythm, he feels like he's healthy enough to be out there right now:
“I feel decent physically,” James said. “I’m still getting back to where I was before I think the second time we played Houston, when the injury occurred late into the fourth quarter. And then the suspension and then the false positive all kind of just knocked me in and out of rhythm as the season has started so far. As far as my wind: only way to get back on there is to put in the time in, the work on the floor, as we did today. Practice, got up and down. That was good for my heart rate. And also in the games, as well.”
Fans and analyst have pointed their finger at coach Frank Vogel for not being able to hold the fort when James is forced to sit.
Nonetheless, LeBron has his coach's back and knows that he just won't cave into that kind of pressure:
"I think criticism comes with the job, you know?" James said, as quoted by ESPN. "Frank is a strong-minded guy. He has a great coaching staff. And we as his players have to do a better job of going out and producing on the floor. We're a team and an organization that don't mind some adversity, that don't mind people saying things about us, obviously, because it comes with the territory."
Last but not least, James talked about all the criticism he and his teammates have faced throughout the season, claiming that they're used to that and that it's not going to have a negative impact on them:
"We have a lot of guys on this team that have been bulletin-board material for quite a long time, so it don't quite bother us," James added. "Everything that we do stays in house when it comes to our preparation and how we prepare for our next opponent and how we prepare to get better. Frank doesn't care and we don't either about what people are saying."
The Lakers still have plenty of time to straighten the ship and prove that they're still one of the teams to beat in the West, but they better get started before the fans start losing their patience.
