The Los Angeles Lakers are certainly hoping to contend for and win a championship in 2024, but Kendrick Perkins has serious doubts about whether LeBron James can lead the Lakers to their second title with him, and put the pressure on his teammate Anthony Davis.

“I don't, I don't,” Kendrick Perkins said on First Take when asked if LeBron James could lead the Lakers to a title this year. “And not because I don't believe in LeBron James, and look I think he's the greatest player of all time, we could debate that another day, I'm standing on that ten toes down. But when it comes down to putting expectations on a guy that's going to be 39 years old in December, I just can't do that.”

Perkins went on to say that the torch should be handed to Anthony Davis when it comes to who carries the team, not James.

“Especially when he's playing alongside a guy that is in his prime, a top-five talent in Anthony Davis,” Perkins said. “It shouldn't be on LeBron James. Now, should LeBron James be the second option? Absolutely. But this Laker team is going to go as far as Anthony Davis could carry them.”

The Lakers hope to take the next step in 2023-2024. The team reached the conference finals and got swept by the Denver Nuggets. It will be intriguing to see if Perkins is right, and Davis is the one that is tasked with carrying the load for the Lakers, or if it will still be James.