Chris Broussard backs LA Lakers & Rob Pelinka remodeling roster around LeBron James: “No, they aren’t wasting LeBron’s greatness”
The Los Angeles Lakers find themselves in an interesting position as many are starting to believe that they might be wasting LeBron James' greatness. The 38-year-old continues to be one of the best players in basketball as he's putting up insane numbers for his age.
James is averaging 30.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 1.0 steals per game. This level of play would likely make him an MVP candidate if the Lakers were even a bit better than they currently are.
NBA analyst Nick Wright believes that the Lakers, 22-26 this season after going 33-49 last season, are wasting LeBron's greatness, but Chris Broussard disagrees.
"I'm not saying Rui Hachimura is an All-NBA player, but he's a long wing that they needed," Broussard said. "Athletic. Supposedly he's a 3-point shooter. Last year, he shot 45% from 3. They need shooting. What they need, mainly, Nick, is shooting, and he just supposedly improved that.
"And AD to be healthy. What, is LeBron James as a top 10 player still? The only top 10 player with a top 10 teammate. That's it. ... He (Rob Pelinka) just made a trade. Nick, I think what he said was, if he can make a trade, they will. ... I think he's ready to make a deal if there's a good deal out there.
"No, they're not wasting LeBron's greatness. Is Golden State wasting Steph's greatness? Is Portland wasting Dame's greatness? No, go out there and win."
"Rob Pelinka is ready to make a deal if there's a good deal out there. The Lakers aren't wasting LeBron's greatness. You have to win. They're the only team with two Top 2 players." — @Chris_Broussard https://t.co/fDlFuc1wVg
Is LeBron James greatness being wasted?
When thinking about whether LeBron James' greatness is being wasted, it's certainly a good debate to have. James is arguably one of the greatest players in basketball history and even seems to be a top five or top 10 talent right now. The Lakers have a bunch of work to do to be a championship-level contender, but saying that they're wasting somebody's greatness is certainly interesting.
When looking at the team that the Lakers have, there's a good argument to be made that LeBron wanted most of those players. He decided to bring in Anthony Davis, and while that did work because they won a championship in 2020, he's now paying the price of Davis not being healthy.
There's no denying that LeBron James also wanted Russell Westbrook, and that hasn't worked out despite Westbrook playing better this season. When they added Westbrook, they thought that was going to be the missing piece to a championship, and that hasn't been the case. Not only is that a problem at the moment, but trading Russell is also difficult due to his contract and current play.
LeBron James is certainly still good enough to carry a team to a championship, and that's been evident in what he's been able to do this season. However, the Lakers simply haven't built a championship roster, and that's why they're in the position that they were in. On the flip side, it might not be all of general manager Rob Pelinkas' fault as James certainly said he wanted some of these players.