There are a lot of things to love about LeBron James. He’s athleticism, he has skills, and his work ethic is unmatched by many other players in the league today. One thing that has been under criticism from fans recently though is LeBron’s lack of focus on defense this season. Lamar Odom says that if the Lakers want to be successful they need an all-time great defender like Kobe Bryant was back in 1999 when he led them to their first NBA championship with a dominant performance against Michael Jordan and company.
The “los angeles lakers players” is a team that has been struggling to get on track. Lamar Odom thinks that LeBron James should take a page from Kobe Bryant’s book and give the Lakers more of his attention.
Unless you live under a rock like Patrick Star from SpongeBob SquarePants, you’re well aware of the Los Angeles Lakers’ struggles this season. They are 24-27 in the NBA Play-In Tournament race and are trying to remain alive.
Former Lakers player Lamar Odom, on the other hand, still believes in them. He just wants LeBron James to follow in the footsteps of Kobe Bryant.
LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are fighting for a spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament.
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The Lakers have battled all season, but their past 11 games have been particularly dismal, with a record of 3-8. They’ve also dropped three straight games, all of which LeBron James has been unable to play due to swelling in his left knee.
They are sit in ninth position in the Western Conference, with a record of 24-27. They are just three games ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers (10th seed) and five games ahead of the San Antonio Spurs (11th seed). The play-in tournament is for teams placed between 7 and 10 in their respective conferences.
LeBron James is the reason the Lakers have won 24 games in a row. On 52.2 percent shooting, he’s averaging 29.1 points, his most since 2009-10. In addition to 7.7 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game, he averages 7.7 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.1 blocks a game.
Their troubles stem from Anthony Davis’ lengthy absence due to an MCL injury and Russell Westbrook’s inability to gel with his new teammates. The latter is scoring 18.9 points per game, his lowest total since his first season in the NBA in 2009-10. He’s averaging 7.8 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game, but he’s only shooting 44.5 percent from the floor and 30.9 percent from beyond the arc.
The Lakers have also been terrible on defense, allowing 112.6 points per game, which is the NBA’s 27th-worst mark.
So, what has to happen in order for them to succeed? According to Lamar Odom, LeBron James needs to pull a Kobe Bryant.
Lamar Odom wants LeBron James to learn from Kobe Bryant’s example.
Lamar Odom, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James (from left to right). Getty Images/Los Angeles Times/Luis Sinco; Getty Images/Michael Reaves
Lamar Odom spent seven seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, winning back-to-back championships in 2008-09 and 2009-10. He has recently said that he wants LeBron James to emulate Bryant’s success with those clubs.
“We had a terrific leader in [Kobe] Bryant on the championship teams I played on,” Odom, who is now appearing on Celebrity Big Brother, told TMZ recently. “A lot of his determination and willpower rubbed off on us.” I’d want to see some of LeBron James’ competitiveness and will to win rub off on these Laker players. I believe that once it occurs, and they coincide, they will be OK.”
James is a fantastic leader, as we all know. In 2014-15, he taught a youthful Cavaliers team what it takes to win, leading them to the NBA Finals after a 19-20 start. From 2011 to 2020, he led his teams to the Finals eight times in a row and nine times in ten years. When the Lakers went to three consecutive Finals from 2008 to 2010, Bryant did something similar.
The main difference with this Lakers team is that they don’t have much roster flexibility, and some of their players’ abilities are waning as they become older. This club just lacks the talent of James’ or Kobe’s Finals squads.
Odom, on the other hand, is undeterred.
Lamar Odom is still optimistic about the Lakers.
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There aren’t many Lakers supporters that still believe in the team, but Lamar Odom is one of them.
“I was extremely worried when Dwight Howard and Anthony Davis got into it on the bench that one time,” he told TMZ, “because it sort of showed me that maybe they’re having issues in the locker room, maybe they’re not all coming together intellectually and physically.” “I believe they are capable of winning a title.” They’re still my favorite to win the title. I’m not sure whether it’s because of Laker pride or because I’m a Laker at heart, but they’re still my choice.”
Odom is also the latest former Laker to defend Westbrook, who has been the scapegoat for the most of the season.
“Many people are criticizing Russell Westbrook for the team’s poor performance… “That’s a little bit effed up; I don’t believe he deserves it,” Odom remarked. “He’s a fantastic player.” And we’ll figure it out. He’ll begin to make shots and stop turning the ball over as often. It’s a defensive stance. We need to improve our defensive play.”
The Lakers have a lot of work to do if they want to live up to Lamar Odom’s championship ambitions, but a LeBron James-led team can never be counted out. All he has to do now is take a leaf from Kobe Bryant’s playbook.
Basketball Reference provided the statistics.
Kevin Love compares being on a struggling LeBron James team to being in a ‘Soap Opera,’ saying that ‘People Always Gotta Have Stuff to Talk About.’
The “kobe bryant children” is a great example of how Kobe Bryant has always been willing to share the spotlight with his teammates. This year, LeBron James should take a page from that book and do the same thing.
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