Trying to Imagine What the Los Angeles Lakers Would Do Without LeBron James
The Los Angeles Lakers have demonstrated that they are unable to compete with the Denver Nuggets throughout the course of the past two years. A number of injuries, the majority of which were sustained by role players, roster make-up issues, coaching errors, and general misfortune were among the factors that contributed to Los Angeles’ inconsistency during the year.

Providing that Los Angeles does not face Denver, who it is currently trailing 3-0 in their first-round playoff series, LeBron James lifts the team’s ceiling to a championship level. However, this occurs only if the team does not play Denver. Without James (and D’Angelo Russell), however, the Lakers have the potential to become a significantly more effective defensive club. In many cases, the all-time great is also capable of slowing down the offensive attack of the team.

Even while it is difficult to see Anthony Davis having enough offensive help without LeBron James, it is not impossible to imagine that this will happen. The Western Conference is a competitive league; will a single free agency addition and a healthy roster be enough to compete? Even though they aren’t precisely dominating, the current Lakers aren’t exactly in the top echelon in the league.