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Even though the Los Angeles Lakers won the LeBron James sweepstakes, the prevailing narrative remains to tell that the Lakers are not good enough to challenge for supremacy in the Western Conference. For James’ buddy, Dwyane Wade, however, dismissing a LeBron James-led team is a big mistake.
Speaking to reporters during a conference call, Wade expressed his confidence in James’ ability in willing his team to reach at least the NBA Finals, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.
“Well, first do not count him out, that would be the wrong thing to do,” Wade said. “I think in his mind, he prepares to go to the Finals every year. That is the God-given ability and talent that he has been gifted and given. … It definitely has added another amazing chapter to his storybook career, and we are all going to watch to see how it unfolds, but I would never count that guy out.”
Wade is speaking from experience here. He was a teammate of James when the four-time league MVP spearheaded the Miami Heat’s string of four-straight NBA Finals appearances from 2011 to 2014, winning two titles in the process. Wade was also a witness when James led the Cleveland Cavaliers in completing a miraculous comeback in the 2016 NBA Finals in which the Cavs erased a 3-1 series deficit to topple the mighty Golden State Warriors squad.
Although James is already 33, he showed he’s far from done when he uncorked one of the best – if not the best – year of his career last season. In his final season in Cavs uniform, James averaged 27.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 9.1 assists in 82 games.
With the Lakers, James will not have a running mate of Wade’s ilk, but if there’s one player who can lead any group of players to the top, it’s him.
