The Los Angeles Lakers were not the busiest team of the 2025 postseason. But still, they made some notable changes, and have clearly stated their title aspirations by adding Luka Doncic in February and now DeAndre Ayton in free agency. There are other things to address, too.
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Depth issues and defensive shortcomings, for instance, have been a major issue for the Lakers. But there’s one thing that they must prioritize above all, and that is getting LeBron James on board with their vision.
At least, that’s what ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne thinks. The famed analyst was likely referring to the rumors of Bron considering a move away from the Purple and Gold.
James did opt in for his $52 million player option. But he is reportedly discontent with the roster. Bron wants to win, and he wants to win now. To make matters worse, the King’s recent activity on social media, which showed that he had traveled to Cleveland, has only added fuel to the fire.
LeBron has denied that any of his posts carry cryptic meaning. But Shelburne stated that the four-time MVP’s online presence should be taken seriously by the Lakers.
“The first step is to make sure that LeBron James is cool,” said the TV personality, who chuckled at the amount of time James has spent on social media over the last few weeks. After getting that tidbit off her chest, Shelburne laid out her taken on what she believes the Lakers need to get over the hump.
“I also think they need some more perimeter defense. They obviously lost Dorian Finney-Smith. That was someone they went and traded for last season. You have Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves as your starting backcourt. You need some help on the perimeter defensively,” added Shelburne.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to remind fans that the Lakers were outclassed and outworked by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs last season. And the defense and rebounding were a concern.
Some of these issues have been resolved thanks to the organization bringing in Ayton. Shelburne mentioned Ayton but still advised the Lakers to bring in more players, especially for LeBron’s sake.
She reminded listeners that LBJ was stuck as the team’s primary defender last year. And at 40 years old, he can’t do it all alone going forward.
“LeBron was in that defensive role last year. He was like that middle linebacker. He was almost playing center a lot of the time. I don’t think he’s going to be in that role now that they have DeAndre Ayton, but they still need some more athletes on the perimeter,” Shelburne concluded.
It’s easy to point at the Lakers and say they were simply smaller than the dominant Wolves. But, like Shelburne said, adding a few key pieces could be instrumental in helping them not just improve, but truly compete in the competitive West.
For now, all eyes remain on LeBron’s decision. But with all signs pointing to these being just rumors, the Lakers’ front office would be wise to listen to Shelburne.
