At the moment, LeBron James knows his Los Angeles Lakers aren't on the same level as other Western Conference contenders: namely, the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns.
Following the Lakers' 18-point home loss to the Suns on Tuesday, LeBron tepidly pushed when asked to evaluate the state of his 16-16 ballclub, compared with their 25-5 Pacific Division Rivals.
“Obviously, they are at full strength and we're not, so it's hard to see where we're at as a team,” James said.
Including the final four games of last season's first round, the Lakers have now dropped six straight contests to Phoenix.
“We don't know,” James responded when asked if the Lakers can compete with the top teams in the league. “We have no idea what this team can be.”
Like last season, Phoenix has been one of the healthiest teams in basketball in 2021-22. They brought back almost exactly the same roster that reached the 2021 NBA Finals.
“They're kicking ass,” Lakers interim head coach David Fizdale said. “They've had a lot of continuity and they've been very lucky. That's lucky to be healthy. … That continuity is a big deal.”
The Lakers, by contrast, have struggled to find their footing with a new-look roster, in part due to a steady stream of injuries and absences. The Lakers have started a league-high 17 different starting lineups, and their most-used lineup combination has logged (by far) fewer minutes together than any other team's most-used lineup. LeBron missed 12 games for a variety of reasons.
The latest major blow came over the weekend, as Anthony Davis was ruled out for at least a month with an MCL sprain.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6MnJXNoLPxevYvf5sx6Jv4?si=c13e0fceb9e64e81
“I missed a bunch of games; now A.D. is out; bunch of guys in protocol; our head coach is out,” LeBron added. “So how can we really fully assess what we have when we haven’t been whole? I can’t remember the last time we played the same starting lineup and had the same rotation coming off the bench. It’s been a long time.”
LeBron did his part on Tuesday, shaking off a twisted ankle to post his sixth 30+ point outing in the past eight games. He scored 34 points on 13-of-19 shooting but received little help from his depleted supporting cast, with the exception of Russell Westbrook (22 points).
The best thing the Lakers can do for now, according to LeBron? “Just stay together.”
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