The Los Angeles Lakers might have a playoff dilemma on their hands when it comes using LeBron James.
NBA insider Brett Siegel took part in the latest episode of Clutch Scoops with Tomer Azarly on March 12. Los Angeles seems to be playing better without James, but Siegel argues they still need to play him to have a chance. The insider states this but doesn't give them a chance to win a first-round series either way.
“You can’t not play LeBron. I understand that you’re a better team without him but he needs to play for this team to even be in title contention status. It’s not going to happen, they’re not a title contending team, but in that hypothetical world a lot of Lakers fans want to live in, for this team to potentially win in the playoffs you need LeBron next to Luka and Austin Reaves. And when you have that you see what happens. They’re not good defensively, the ball movement is kind of stagnant, you got five guys just standing around,” Siegel said at the 39:43 mark.
“I think their record is inflated. I think it’s a lot better than the team actually is. And I think that we’re going to see that when they run into a first round series. I feel very confident in saying they will not win a first round series.”
What lies ahead for LeBron James, Lakers
The Lakers are 26-18 with James and 14-7 without him this season. Whether or not their style of play looks better, there is no doubt that James will be active in the rotation once the playoffs arrive.
Los Angeles has a 40-25 record on the season, sitting at fourth place in the Western Conference standings. They are above the Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves while trailing the Houston Rockets and the San Antonio Spurs.
The Lakers look forward to their next matchup, being at home. They host the Chicago Bulls on March 12 at 10:30 p.m. ET.
