3 reasons LeBron James made the wrong choice to join the Lakers
By KC Whitten
2. The Lakers aren’t ready
At the beginning of last season, the Lakers were the fifth-youngest team in the NBA with an average age of 24.3 years. The core of that group, Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Kyle Kuzma, have played in a combined zero playoff games.
Yes, L.A. signed veterans Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson and JaVale McGee to add experience to the roster. However, none one of those players is going to have enough of an impact to elevate the Lakers past the elite teams in the Western Conference.
Presumably, the starting lineup next season would be Lonzo Ball, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, LeBron James, Kyle Kuzma and JaVale McGee. Does that look like a starting lineup that’s going to compete with the Warriors and the Rockets? Even if Rondo and Stephenson started in place of Ball and KCP, that tandem isn’t enough to compete at an elite level in the Western Conference.
Each time LeBron has won a championship, he’s had the assistance of a guard that could make clutch shots. Whether it was Dwyane Wade in Miami, or Kyrie Irving in Cleveland, James knew he could rely on either player to share the pressure when the game was on the line. As we witnessed throughout last season, Lonzo Ball isn’t that type of player yet.
The Lakers have a great group of young talent, but they’re a couple of years away from having the potential ability to compete at an elite level. By the time they enter their primes, James will be 35-36 years old and entering the twilight of his career.
If L.A. can add another superstar player to the roster to relieve some pressure off the younger players, then this roster might be able to compete out West in the playoffs. If James, Rondo and Stephenson end up signing their contracts, that only leaves the Lakers with $1.4 million of practical cap space. If LeBron enters the 2018-19 season with this roster, the likelihood of championship success is slim.