"Russ had a bad go at it so they worrying about things, it became a circus around him" - Former NBA champion confident about LA Lakers' revival in 2022-23 season
The LA Lakers had a poor 2021-22 season. Despite LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook playing on the same team, the Lakers only won 33 games. Their 33-49 record wasn't enough for them to get a place in the play-in tournament. One of the biggest reasons for the Lakers' poor performance last season was the health of their superstars.
Anthony Davis played only 40 games, while LeBron James played 56 games. The trio of James, Davis and Westbrook only played 21 games together. These injuries are why many of the LA Lakers' faithful are optimistic about their teams' chances this season. They believe that if their trio of superstar players remains injury-free for the 2022-23 season, the Lakers could have a long 2023 postseason run.
Joining Lakers fans in their belief about their team is former NBA champion, Iman Shumpert. In a recent interview with Vlad TV, Shumpert, the 2011 Draft pick, was confident about the LA Lakers' upcoming season, provided they remain healthy. He told Vlad TV:
"If healthy. We talking about health. We didn't see Bron and A.D and Russ just healthy together, figuring it out. It was a lot of lineup switches and this and that and they didn't play well. Russ had a bad go at it, so they worrying about things, it became a circus around him. Like y'all haven't really seen them just in a grown man groove.
"Like let them, they grown men. These ain't no kids. They don't need us to talk about this to figure this out. I'm just saying, once it's healthy and in the playoffs, I want to hear everybody be so like A.D and Bron in the playoffs is going to be dangerous."
Iman Shumpert believes Patrick Beverley is a vital acquisition made by LA Lakers
Another reason why Shumpert is upbeat about the LA Lakers' upcoming season is because the franchise acquired Patrick Beverley. Shumpert, who won a ring with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, said:
"Patrick Beverley in the playoffs is an issue. He had that quote like, 'Now they're playing with me. I made it to the playoffs last year.' There are certain people in the playoffs, they get it. They know how to beat somebody four times. That's a very important thing that you have to know how to do in the league.
"I just feel like that they have a team that knows how to win in the playoffs. And once they own into that and their collective pieces around them do what they're supposed to do, cause they're going to have to make that adjustment. ... You gotta deal with that s**t."
Shumpert ended his comments on the fate of the LA Lakers by putting the onus on LeBron James. Shumpert said:
"Bron is notorious for putting the team together – whether you'll see it or not – he going to figure out how it work. We just didn't get to see AD healthy. Lots of people are acting like we just saw a AD healthy and they just sucked."