The Los Angeles Lakers are left with more questions than answers after their shocking first round exit at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Despite reports that the Lakers “expect” superstar forward LeBron James back next season, questions still remain about the team going forward.
After Wednesday’s 103-96 Game 5 loss in front of their home fans at the Crypto.com Arena, the 40-year-old James was uncertain about his future when asked post-game how many more years he plans to play.
“I don’t know. I don’t have the answer to that,” James told reporters. “Something I’ll sit down with my family, my wife and my support group and kind of just talk through it and see what happens and just have a conversation with myself on how long I want to continue to play. I don’t know the answer to that right now, to be honest, so we’ll see.”
Lakers president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka, who executed the Luka Doncic trade back in February, understands that NBA all-time leading scorer James will be keeping an eye on how the roster improves in the offseason.
“I think LeBron’s going to have high expectations for the roster,” Pelinka told reporters on Thursday. “And we’re going to do everything we can to meet those. But I also know that whatever it is, he’s still going to give his 110% every night, whether that’s scoring, assisting, defending, rebounding, leading. We know that’s always going to be 100%, and that never wavers.”
The four-time NBA champion has a player option to return next season and Pelinka still has an “all-time high” confidence in the core of James, Doncic and Austin Reaves moving forward.
“I think those three guys have incredible promise playing together,” Pelinka added. “And we will collectively do a better job to make sure they’re surrounded with the right pieces to have ultimate success.”
James still remained one of the better players in the league in his 22nd season, averaging 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists.
JJ Redick, coming off his first year as the head coach of the Lakers, pointed to improving the conditioning of players for next season.
“I’ll start with the offseason and the work that’s required in an offseason to be in championship shape,” Redick said. “And we have a ways to go as a roster. And certainly, there are individuals that were in phenomenal shape. There’s certainly other ones that could have been in better shape. That’s where my mind goes immediately is we have to get in championship shape.”
With Minnesota set to play the winner of the Golden State Warriors-Houston Rockets series in the second round, Redick “admitted” the Lakers were not the better team.
“Maybe this is hard sometimes for a coach or a player to admit this: We lost to a better team,” Redick said. “That’s just the reality. We did.”
As James looks on, Pelinka proclaimed one of the ways to enhance the team’s championship desires will be find an Anthony Davis replacement to add size to the front court. Davis was shipped to Dallas in return for Doncic.
James did not comment on the Lakers’ struggles at center following the trade but provided a gut check to the front office.
“My guy A.D. said what he wanted, and he was gone the following week,” James quipped.
Should James return to play another season, he’d surpass Vince Carter for the most seasons played in NBA history.
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