LeBron James joked he could suffer the same fate as Anthony Davis if he spoke his mind after the Los Angeles Lakers went crashing out of the First Round of the NBA Playoffs on Wednesday, April 30.
The Lakers came into the contest 3-1 down and needing a response against the Minnesota Timberwolves if they hoped to win a first championship since 2020, but couldn’t break 100 points on the night as they lost 103-96.
Despite possessing both James and Luka Doncic, who combined for 60 points, 15 assists and 14 rebounds, their offense fell apart in the fourth quarter as they only managed to put 16 points on the board.
Being outperformed in the fourth quarter had been a worrying pattern for the Lakers throughout the series, including in the one game they won, as they struggled to put it together when it mattered.
Part of the reason was their vulnerability at center, playing the majority of the game without Jaxson Hayes, that allowed the Timberwolves‘ Rudy Gobert (27 points, 24 assists) and Anthony Edwards (15 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists) to run riot.
And James was clearly frustrated after the contest ended and his bid for a fifth NBA championship came to a close, refusing to talk for fear of repercussions from the Lakers‘ front office.
“No comments,” LeBron said about where the Lakers need to improve. “My guy AD [Anthony Davis] said [what he wanted] and he was gone the following week.”
The 40-year-old was recalling Davis‘ interview with Shams Charania in which he called for the Lakers to bring another center to the Crypto.com Arena so he could be moved up to the power forward role to support the offense.
Then, a few weeks later, came one of the most shocking trades in NBA history as he was sent to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Doncic. It seems James is keen to avoid the same outcome.
The Lakers’ weaknesses not a shock
Once they got the chance to move for Doncic, the Lakers took it with both hands but knew the remainder of the 2024/25 NBA season would be a challenge by leaving themselves without a strong center.
They had tried to pick up Mark Williams but he failed his medical and the Lakers walked away, leaving Hayes as the only player on-hand to take up the role. However, he’s not regarded as a starting center and prior to the season, had only started 52 games from 311 appearances.
The Lakers will now make a dash for a center capable of handling top end offenses, and if they can do so, whilst retaining James too, then they will have a powerful team to take into the 2025/26 NBA season.
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