The Lakers have received a lot of flak from the media as of late, but despite it all, Shannon Sharpe has stayed true to his love for the team. Sharpe is an extremely vocal believer in LeBron James, and ever since the Luka Doncic trade, he has reiterated that he thinks the Purple and Gold can lift the Larry O’Brien trophy in June.
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Last night on First Take, Sharpe once again made sure people know how high he is on the Lakers. He did express some conditions before fully declaring his support for the LA franchise, though.
After the news broke that LeBron would miss at least a couple of weeks with his groin injury, Sharpe’s criteria for the Lakers’ success shifted just a little bit. He claimed that if they can get James back to his full fitness in the playoffs, they’d be one step closer to claiming the ultimate prize.
James’ injury also brings up the question of how Luka Doncic will handle the pressure of being the sole star. Cue Sharpe’s second condition. He said the Slovenian guard would have to be completely reinvigorated for the Lakers to sustain this high level we’ve seen from them since the new year.
“If I got a healthy LeBron [James], an engaged reinvigorated Luka [Doncic], 4-seed, mustard seed, poppy seed… Lakers in 5,” he said, drawing back to his iconic predictions and throwing his support behind the Lakers.
The Lakers are 2nd in the West right now, but playing without LeBron will be a stern test for them. He’s played like a man possessed for the last two months, with his defensive intensity reminding fans of what he looked like in his prime.
Doncic is no LeBron on defense, but he can cover his defensive faults with his offensive production. He’s recorded three consecutive games of 30+ points, and the Lakers will want him to continue that trend till James can return.
The Lakers want to be cautious with LeBron James’ return from injury
LeBron James’ first reaction to his injury was to reminisce back to the time in 2018 when he sustained a similar injury. He doesn’t expect to be out for a long time, though, and the Lakers are somewhat in disagreement.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Lakers are inclined to take a more cautious approach to James’ recovery, largely because of the huge gap that they have over other teams in the West. Unlike previous years, where they were in contention for a play-in spot, their recent stretch of games has them sitting comfortably near the top of the division.
While James still needs 7 more games under his belt for All-NBA eligibility, Charania believes the Lakers won’t rush him back into anything, mainly because they’re focused on the title this year.
