LeBron James delivered a championship to the Los Angeles Lakers, which makes his tenure a success, regardless of what happens next, but their first-round playoff exit could mean that success is behind them.
The Lakers can make the argument they would still be playing in the Western Conference semifinals if not for Anthony Davis’ groin strain, much less LeBron James’ midseason high ankle sprain, and that will provide some level of comfort to a front office that is once again tasked with fully reshaping the roster around them.
Let this be a warning for the Lakers not to get too comfortable. James will turn 37 years old in December. He has missed 58 games over the past three seasons, more than he did in the entire decade before, sandwiching a lottery campaign and first-round exit around the title.
The Davis injury did not surprise anyone who followed his career on the New Orleans Pelicans. It was practically more surprising that he did not miss a game in last year’s playoffs. It is enough to make you wonder if the 2020 title — complete with a four-month break before the bubble — was the anomaly and not this season. An anomaly championship is still a championship. But what now?
Dennis Schroder, Wesley Matthews, Montrezl Harrell and Andre Drummond — a group that includes the top two Sixth Man of the Year candidates in 2019 and a two-time All-Star — were not nearly the collective upgrade they were supposed to be from Rajon Rondo, Danny Green, Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee.
