LeBron James and Anthony Davis both played at an elite level during the postseason. Despite this, the Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated in the first round, falling to the Denver Nuggets. While they led at halftime of each game, they ultimately lost the series in just five games. The four-time NBA MVP recently shared his thoughts on the franchise’s early postseason exit.
Speaking to co-host JJ Redick on the Mind the Game podcast, James stated:
Going against the defending champions in the first round is always going to be a difficult challenge. We knew that coming into it, but f**k, we had so many opportunities, man, and to lose in five – two of them being game-winners by Jamal [Murray] and his greatness – but we had so many opportunities.
Obviously, being up 20 in Game 2 in their building and losing that game and having so many opportunities in other games. It just feels like, s**t, if one play here, one play there, could have made a hell of a difference. When you’re playing against a team like that, you have zero room for error and I believe we made too many errors… A couple players here, a couple plays there, we could have won the series, but the better team won.
James noted that he saw the stat which noted the Lakers were leading for most of the minutes in the series. He called it ‘fools gold’, while adding most playoff games come down to a few possessions. The four-time NBA champion averaged 27.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 8.8 assists, 2.4 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. He shot 56.6% from the field, 38.5% from three-point range and 73.9% from the free-throw line.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis to play a role in Los Angeles Lakers’ coaching search
After a disappointingly quick exit from the postseason, the Los Angeles Lakers fired head coach Darvin Ham last Friday. While several names have emerged as candidates for the position, LeBron James and Anthony Davis will reportedly play a role in the coaching search. Speaking on SportsCenter, Dave McMenamin of ESPN stated:
Of course LeBron James’ opinion will be taken into consideration, but not just LeBron James. Anthony Davis as well I’m told. And the team kind of looks as Anthony Davis finally taking the torch from LeBron in the last season-and-a-half.
While LeBron can still have the time to process the end of this season as he decides his future with the team, they have another voice and another leader in Anthony Davis whose opinion they will take under consideration.
James holds a $51.4 million player option for the 2024-25 season, and has until June 29th to make a decision. While he could opt to leave the franchise after six seasons, all signs indicate that he will be back with the Lakers. In his 21st season, he averaged 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.5 blocks per game. He shot 54.0% from the field, a career-best 41.0% from three-point range and 75.0% from the free-throw line.
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