Last season, the Los Angeles Lakers were judged by almost everyone in the basketball universe to have the best off-season of any team. Fast forward to today, and the narration has reversed completely. They had not signed any players yet. They also retain the same team that lost in the first round of the playoffs. Therefore, the upcoming season will be a struggle for LeBron James, JJ Redick, and Bronny James.
At least, this is what the four-time NBA title winner’s former teammate, Eddie House, thinks will happen. He expanded on that thought on The Herd with Colin Cowherd in the absence of regular host Colin Cowherd. House clearly said the Los Angeles Lakers remain a play-in team at best.
I just don’t know where the Lakers stand in all of this. The Lakers look like a play-in team at best. The last two years, with these guys, they've been play-in teams. Everybody's getting older; the team is not getting any better. I just see them in the same place they've been in the last couple of years.Eddie House via The Herd with Colin Cowherd
The assessment from Eddie House does not take anything away from the fact that they are feared in the playoffs. However, even those playoff runs came to a stop as LeBron James and Anthony Davis got injured or exhausted, or even outplayed by the Denver Nuggets. One could attribute it as the result of taking on the load in the regular season.
Unless Eddie House sees major upgrades to the team or sees the team develop over the regular season, he feels the play-in games remain the ceilings. They will again be scrapping just to make the playoffs instead of being a dominant force.
JJ Redick is the key to unlocking Lakers NBA title hopes
When JJ Redick was rumored to be in the running for the Los Angeles Lakers head coach job, everyone knew it was for the future. He will lead the franchise into the era after LeBron James. However, he could do his podcast mate a favor this season. If he can develop younger players like Bronny James quicker than expected, it would boost the Lakers significantly.
The next step involves making adjustments to the Lakers game to exploit every ounce of competitiveness available. Do all that, and it is possible that the Lakers could surprise everybody. All they need is for the younger players to carry their two leading superstars into the playoffs. They will likely handle the rest, just like they did in the 2020 Bubble.
However, Eddie House knows it is not easy. This is not 2020 anymore, as most of the contenders have upgraded their squads significantly, and the West remains more stacked than ever. In fact, this might just end up becoming the most difficult campaign for James and the Lakers.
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