The Lakers and LeBron James have now been linked with a potential move to the city of Los Angeles. But as one could expect, many other teams are also looking into making moves in LA. And according to Iman Shumpert, there’s something else that will be plaguing LeBron for the remainder of his career: A new generation of NBA players who don’t respect him.
The “lakers game score” is a blog post by Iman Shumpert of the Los Angeles Lakers. In the article, he talks about LeBron James and what his most troubling concern is off the court.
Everyone appears to have an explanation for the Los Angeles Lakers’ problems. Some say LeBron James is no longer the franchise player he once was. Others point to Russell Westbrook’s missed shots and turnovers. Many others will bring up LA’s mounting injury list.
Shumpert, Iman, a former teammate of James’, shared his thoughts on the Lakers’ current struggles. And it has nothing to do with what the Purple and Gold are doing on the floor right now.
Last summer, the Lakers’ roster was completely overhauled.
Following a championship-winning season in 2019-20, the Lakers started last season with a squad that many anticipated to challenge for another crown. However, injuries to LeBron James and Anthony Davis exposed some concerning depth, and LA’s repeat quest was cut short in the first round of the playoffs against the Phoenix Suns.
The Lakers made it a priority to get a third superstar this summer. They seemed to have done so in Westbrook, a nine-time All-Star and the 2016-17 NBA MVP. However, they lost long-time role players Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, as well as previous Sixth Man of the Year Montrezl Harrell, in the deal for Russ.
Along with those three, Alex Caruso, Dennis Schroder, Marc Gasol, Wesley Matthews, and others left LA. Only James, Davis, and Talen Horton-Tucker remained in Tinseltown in the end.
General manager Rob Pelinka began work on the 2021-22 roster with three All-Stars and the newly-extended Horton-Tucker. Carmelo Anthony, DeAndre Jordan, Dwight Howard, Malik Monk, Trevor Ariza, Wayne Ellington, Kent Bazemore, and others joined the Lakers’ new core this summer. However, the results have been disappointing, as LA is just two games ahead of the 11th-seeded Sacramento Kings with a 17-19 record.
Iman Shumpert believes LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers have difficulties off the court.
This season, watching the Lakers play basketball has been excruciating at times. Frequently, the squad seems disconnected. And, given LeBron’s high IQ, his teammates can’t possibly be on a different wavelength than him.
Shumpert has a lot of experience playing alongside James. The 10-year veteran played with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the greater part of four seasons, reaching four NBA Finals and winning one. The Cavs have a lot of camaraderie, as he stated on The Bootleg Kev Podcast. And he believes the Lakers are lacking in this area.
“They don’t get down together in my opinion.” They don’t seem to be hanging out.”
Iman Shumpert
Shumpert stated, “There was a period during the Cavs season when Bron genuinely underlined the necessity of us all hanging out together.” “I don’t believe they’ve had the opportunity to hang out together yet.” Maybe COVID, and all that other nonsense. You know what I mean? It simply doesn’t seem like a group of men who have been hanging around and playing pick-up against each other for a long time. It’s as though they don’t know how to get each other to vibe all the way.”
As a leader, LeBron James may be required to do more for the Lakers.
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It takes time to get into a rhythm when you have a team with new members. However, with so many new faces on the team and issues with health and safety standards, it’s no surprise that the Lakers don’t seem to be championship-caliber.
Surprisingly, Shumpert’s assessment on the Lakers also includes an oblique jab at LeBron. James would constantly prioritize hanging out together, according to the 31-year-old. He also told Bootleg Kev about how the future Hall of Famer would have events at his residence for his colleagues, such as Halloween parties.
LeBron James is doing all he can on the floor to help the Lakers advance, as seen by his recent string of 30-point performances. However, when it comes to general team cohesion, the King may need to be more of a leader. While Shumpert is merely an outsider looking in (as are we), LA’s disorganized performance so far is a far cry from LeBron’s previous Finals teams, which included a slew of new faces on a near-annual basis.
To turn things around, the Lakers will need greater performance from Westbrook and the rest of their supporting cast. However, certain off-the-court activities organized by LeBron might boost the team’s general cohesion.
Basketball Reference provided all statistics.
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