Los Angeles Lakers: 3 players facing the most pressure in 2019-20

1. LeBron James

LeBron James is arguably one of the best players to ever lace up a pair of basketball sneakers. He is a four-time MVP. He’s been to eight straight NBA Finals (2011 through 2018).

He’s fourth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list and back in 2016, he became the first player to lead an NBA Finals series in points, assists, rebounds, steals and blocks.

Let’s also not forget that James has won three titles and he is a three-time Finals MVP as well. But even a list of impressive accolades doesn’t tell the entire story.

Despite the level of greatness he has showcased in his 17-year NBA career, though, the 2018-19 season is one King James would love to forget about. For the first time in his career, he sustained an injury that kept him off the court for an extended period of time.

Also, last season marked the first time since his second year in the league that one of his teams failed to make it to the playoffs.

So although his numbers (27.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 8.3 assists per contest in 55 games) were comparable to his production over the past few seasons, it wasn’t enough to help keep the Lakers in playoff contention.

The good news is, with the talented frontcourt duo of Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins, along with a re-tooled roster, James will be playing with an added edge for those who doubt his desire to win another championship.

Whether the reports about James not having the same desire to win a title are actually accurate remains to be seen.

However, now that he’s healthy and has a cast of characters who are a good fit with his skill set, the sports world be will watching to see if James can return to the level that made him one of the most feared players in the league, and even more important, can he help the Los Angeles Lakers win their first title since 2010?