Lakers Will Not Make the Playoffs

The biggest news story in the world of basketball last year was that LeBron James had decided to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers and join the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent. The addition of the best players in the NBA gave Laker fans some hope for the first time in a very long time. The team has been rotten in recent years. LeBron said he wanted to change the losing culture and instill a winning attitude in some of the younger players on the Lakers roster. Alas, that did not happen in the first year of the four-year contract that LeBron signed. The Lakers have officially been eliminated from playoff contention.

This will be the sixth straight year that the Lakers will not be in the playoffs. This is a big blow to the NBA as a whole. The Lakers are one of the biggest franchises and they have a massive fan base. Having the Lakers and the New York Knicks basically be irrelevant for many years means that fans in the two biggest cities in the United States will not be engaged in the NBA playoffs. This will mean that the playoff ratings will be lower and advertising revenue will be down.

The Lakers were eliminated when they lost their 41st game of the year against only 31 wins. One of the main reasons why the Lakers’ season has been such a complete disaster is the fact that LeBron has not been on the court as much as he has in the past. He missed over a month of the season due to a serious groin strain. Therefore, the man the Lakers brought in to lead their young team could only cheer them on from the bench. To be fair, the team did not play that great even when LeBron was healthy. LeBron never seemed to have any chemistry with young players like Lonzo Ball.

The Lakers are in a very bad position. Their record is not bad enough where they have a really good chance of getting the first pick in the draft. That means their highest pick in the first round will most likely not be an impact player. The Lakers need a lot of help in a lot of different areas. It is fair to say that the Lakers might miss the playoffs for another couple of years. Their only hope is signing many great free agents.