LeBron James is already an NBA legend and one of the best basketball players ever. The 19-time All-Star is one of the NBA’s most decorated players in history. He has four NBA Championship winner’s rings, with the last coming as part of the 2019/20 Los Angeles Lakers NBA Championship winning roster.
Aged 38, James is now in the twilight years of his magnificent career. From his early season form, the all-time NBA record points scorer shows no signs of substantially slowing down. As the leader in a much-changed 2023 Lakers’ roster, there is no doubt that James wants that elusive fifth NBA Championship ring before he bows out of the game on top.
A fifth ring would bring LeBron James level with other Lakers greats of the past. Magic Johnson, Michael Cooper, and the late, great Kobe Bryant all won their five rings for the LA Lakers exclusively. James can win a second for his Los Angeles franchise, joining Ron Harper as a five-time NBA Championship winner with two as a Lakers player.
The question is whether the current Los Angeles Lakers roster can support LeBron James in his quest.
From a bookmaking perspective, the many included offshore options in basketballinsiders.com give the Lakers a fighting chance at NBA Championship glory this season. Although not rated as one of the favorites, LeBron James’ franchise has current odds of +1200, leaving it seventh on the futures list. With a 6-5 opening record in the regular season, the Lakers’ start has been solid at best.
Following its most recent 134-107 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies (+4500), the Lakers have extended their streak to three games. The LA outfit is favored to beat the Sacramento Kings (+4500) in its next outing and the lowly-ranked Portland Trail Blazers (+80,000) and Houston Rockets (+50,000) after that. Performing as the Lakers can, consecutive wins would mean its regular season record would stand at 9-5.
LeBron James will play a primary role in making this happen. Before the Grizzlies result, the power forward had averaged 25.2 points this season, scoring over 30 points on three occasions. Against the Memphis team, James added another 16 points as D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura took the lead with 24 and 23 points.
If James only scored 16 points out of a season-high 134-point tally, it means his teammates are firing on all cylinders, which bodes well for Lakers performances. With the Lakers making 22 out of 35 of its three-pointers and 42 defensive rebounds in the Grizzlies game, finding consistency over the upcoming fixtures is what the franchise ultimately needs. If it does, James won’t need to carry the point-scoring responsibility.
Although the four-time Championship winner doesn’t have the point-scoring average we’ve become accustomed to seeing this season, James was tied for third in the NBA assist stats before the last game with 5.4. With a further six assists against Memphis, he’s performing above expectation in this department.
Although the Los Angeles Lakers season hasn’t started at full throttle, the franchise is gaining momentum as the year progresses. As long as James and Anthony Davis maintain fitness, the signs are that the Lakers can surpass their Western Conference finals appearance of 2022/23.
Davis averages 23.9 points and 12 rebounds per game this season. Besides the forward’s input at both ends being essential to the Lakers’ success, USA team member Austin Reaves has also become a vital cog for an effective Los Angeles wheel. New roster additions Hachimura and Russell are already showing their worth in the current season.
The LA Lakers have already beaten two franchises above them in the betting. James and the Lakers beat the Phoenix Suns (+700) 100-95 in the second game of the season and local rivals, with an overtime win against the LA Clippers (+1200) a week later. Another win over the Suns, this time by three points, followed in November.
The next time the Lakers face a higher-rated opponent is the day after Christmas. The game against the Boston Celtics will show how far they’ve progressed. The Celtics are favorites for the NBA Championship with most offshore sportsbooks, with odds of +390 on the successful Massachusetts franchise on offer.
The Celtics and the Lakers jointly have the most NBA Championships in history with 17 apiece, so winning basketball’s showpiece event this season would mean more than the Championship itself. Before this festive season showdown, the Lakers will aim to find a consistent run of form to claim victory over the favorites.
In so doing, LeBron James would stand a bigger chance of earning a fifth NBA Championship ring, with the Los Angeles Lakers taking a step closer to the title of the most successful NBA franchise in history.
