LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers have something of a mountain to climb when the NBA’s regular season resumes on Thursday.
They are 27-32 and 13th in the Western Conference. They’re two games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are in 10th place, and 3.5 games behind the sixth-place Dallas Mavericks.
Making the playoffs is a doable task for the Lakers, especially given their new additions. At the same time, it will be a difficult task.
LeBron James put the onus on himself during All-Star weekend when he said he wants to play in all of the Lakers’ remaining 23 regular-season games while calling them “23 of the most important games of my career.”
ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith said James, Anthony Davis and the Lakers missing the playoffs would be embarrassing.
.@stephenasmith says it would be a "stain to some degree" if LeBron misses the playoffs again.
"You're LeBron James, and you're Anthony Davis, and you're healthy enough to be on the court. You don't make the playoffs? That's quite embarrassing." pic.twitter.com/I1zdx6JNoF
— First Take (@FirstTake) February 21, 2023
It’s hard to disagree with Smith’s take. But if L.A. were to miss the postseason, the big question is how would it affect James’ legacy?