LeBron James’ first season with the Los Angeles Lakers was a mixture of drama and disappointment, with a glimpse into what should be a brighter future.
The addition of LeBron James to the Los Angeles Lakers in the summer of 2018 was supposed to bring instant success across the board.
After missing the playoffs for five straight years prior to signing LeBron, the Lakers were expected to return to the postseason in 2019 led by the four-time league MVP and whatever combination of All-Stars would inevitably find their way to L.A. to play with him.
Things did not go according to plan.
Despite landing LeBron, the Lakers’ front office struck out in its efforts to acquire available stars like Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Chris Paul and DeMarcus Cousins before the season. When Anthony Davis requested a trade from the New Orleans Pelicans during the season, the Lakers were unable to strike a deal for him before the trade deadline.
It was still looking good for the Lakers on Christmas Day, when the team was ranked fourth in the Western Conference and handed the defending champion Golden State Warriors a decisive loss on the road.
In that same game, however, LeBron suffered a groin injury that was the beginning of the end of L.A.’s season. The team slumped during his absence, and by the time he was cleared to play again, the injury bug had hit the rest of the roster. The Lakers finished 37-45 and missed the playoffs.
Even Draymond Green thinks the playoffs without LeBron James are "super weird." #NBAPlayoffs https://t.co/fjd7Zp51zM
— USA TODAY NBA (@usatodaynba) May 27, 2019
LeBron put up regular season numbers good enough to earn himself an All-NBA Third Team nod, averaging 27.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game while shooting 51 percent from the field, but he also missed 27 games — more than in any previous season in his career.
The Lakers’ offseason has been defined by internal drama — most notably Magic Johnson‘s resignation as team president and the ensuing media tour during which time he exposed the organization’s disorganized state.
Head coach Luke Walton was fired and replaced by Frank Vogel.
The Lakers are still trying to trade for Davis, and will pursue big-name free agents this summer.
Meanwhile, LeBron is reportedly still committed to the franchise and working toward a bounce-back effort next season. If he comes back playing like himself, and L.A. can add at least one more established veteran star to the roster, the Lakers will be in good shape moving forward.
Here is an evaluation of LeBron’s 2018-19 campaign.