Los Angeles Lakers: 3 reasons fans shouldn’t be panicking

1. We knew LeBron James wasn’t enough

The plan was always to add two superstars. Maybe there was a sliver of hope that one of the Lakers’ young guns would flip a switch, but let’s not pretend like Magic Johnson hasn’t always had an eye on one of 2019 free agency’s top talents as the key to getting over the hump.

Pretty much since the 2018-19 season began, the discussion has been about who will join the Lakers come July. Will it be Kevin Durant? Maybe Klay Thompson? And then there was the whole Anthony Davis fiasco, in which rumors suggested Los Angeles was desperately looking for a co-star for James — because he wasn’t enough.

Either way you slice it, there’s no denying that LeBron was not going to get it done on his own. Maybe he had done so in the past, but that was in the Eastern Conference. Even in Cleveland, James had other stars like Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love to rely upon. Now, he’s got a gaggle of young prospects still figuring themselves out and a bunch of misfit veterans — not exactly a winning formula.

Things can get better, though. Despite all of the talk about how the Lakers still aren’t an enticing destination for top talent, the odds seem to favor some star joining James come July. Whether that’s Durant, Thompson, Davis, Irving or someone else is still to be determined. The takeaway is that, barring some complete collapse, Johnson should still get his second star in 2019.

It isn’t like Los Angeles fans to be patient. Unfortunately, that’s the approach that needs to be taken at this time. Pull your finger back from its resting place just above the panic button, because better days are still to come for the Lakers.