The Los Angeles Lakers have become the odds-on favorite to come out of the loaded Western Conference. When you have LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, and Anthony Davis, that comes as no surprise.
But Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy, who's been alongside LeBron James since his second stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers, warns that it's way too early to be planning any sort of coronation just yet.
Transcription via Fadeaway World's Lee Tran:
“Paper doesn't win championships for us,” Handy said of Lakers' title hopes.
“Those names that are on that paper, are some phenomenal names… We gotta do our work and make sure we gel. Do we fit? These guys, they gotta figure out ways to play with each other and sacrifice, and let their names take over. You know, you look at that piece of paper and say, Lakers are loaded, automatic championship. Nah man, we got a lot of work to do in terms of just gelling, finding our rhythm and being able to be cohesive as a unit.”
"Paper doesn't win championships for us."#Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy (@94feetofgame) tells @Jumpshot8 & @DarthAmin what we can expect from this year's Lakers team. #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/zsdfjPZi9m
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) August 22, 2021
Phil Handy hits the nail on the head there. The Lakers have a surefire championship team on paper and probably on NBA 2K. But this team, despite getting LeBron James a new co-star in Russell Westbrook, have some serious work to do it figure things out. LA has more than a few reasons why many have doubts against them.
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