According to JJ Redick, LeBron James and his 2021-22 Lakers are very similar to the Kobe Bryant-led 2012-13 squad in terms of underperforming.
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The 2021-2022 Los Angeles Lakers are widely considered the greatest basketball squad ever assembled. With the additions of future Hall-Of-Famers like Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwight Howard to a LeBron James and Anthony Davis-led team, this team is one of the deadliest groups on paper.
Despite the squad being filled with some of the game’s greatest, this Lakers team has failed to live up to the expectations. In the offseason, Bron and co. were expected to be a championship-contending team. Fast forward to almost 6 months, this same team is struggling to clinch a spot in the play-in tournament.
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A team filled with some of the most talented players that failed to live up to the expectations? This Lakers team has some uncanny similarities to the 2012-2013 Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol-led Lakers team.
JJ Redick compares the LeBron James-led LAL to the 2012-13 Kobe Bryant-led team
Back in the offseason before the 2012-2013 season, the Lakers shocked the entire association when they acquired 2-time MVP Steve Nash, and 3-time DPOY Dwight Howard just a few days before the regular season commenced.
With a team as stacked as theirs – Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Metta World Peace, Pau Gasol, Dwight Howard – the Lakers were expected to blow past their competition and lift the 2013 Larry O’Brien trophy. However, the squad massively underperformed, had a subpar 45-37 record, advanced to the playoffs as the 7th seed, and got swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the first round itself.
JJ Redick is one of many to see the similarities between the two disastrous seasons. On a recent episode on ESPN’s First Take, Redick explained why he thought the 2012-13 and 2021-22 Lakers were similar in terms of underperforming. JJ said:
“There are some comparisons between that Lakers team in 2012-2013 and this year’s Lakers team. That was the Steve Nash, Dwight Howard, Kobe Lakers team that never figured it out. And this team, again, has never figured it out. Some of that, of course, is [because] LeBron’s had some injuries, AD has some injuries, but both of these teams have just completely underperformed relative to expectations.”
Also Read: Russell Westbrook storms out of a press conference as the Lakers fall to the 11th seed
With their latest loss against the Dallas Mavericks, the LA-based team has fallen down to the 11th position in the Western Conference. With 5 of their last 7 games being against teams who are top 6 in the West, it seems a bit difficult for the Lakers to clinch a spot in the play-in tournament.
