There was a lot of hype surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers heading into the 2023-24 season, but so far, the team hasn’t lived up to the hype. Los Angeles is by no means a bad basketball team, but they don’t look like the perennial contender fans thought they would be.
The Lakers lost to the Orlando Magic on Saturday to move to 3-3 on the season. The numbers behind the Lakers’ 3-3 record are even more worrying. The team ranks 16th in points per game, 20th in points allowed per game, and 20th in net rating.
These are not the hallmarks of a good basketball team. Fortunately, we’re still early in the season and the Lake Show has plenty of time to turn things around. However, if the team continues to play like this, fans will definitely be worried.
Fans should already be a little concerned about this team after LeBron James made the comparison. After the loss to Orlando, James compared his team to a less-than-stellar NFL team that has similar characteristics to the Purple and Gold.
LeBron James makes worrying comparisons between Lakers and Pittsburgh Steelers
LeBron isn’t wrong – the Pittsburgh Steelers still have a winning record despite a negative point differential. Los Angeles also has a negative point differential so far this season, but they don’t have a “winning” record as the team’s point differential is .500.
While it’s easy to see where LeBron got his inspiration for this comparison, it’s a little concerning that he compared the Lakers to the Steelers. Despite the Steelers’ record, no one would call them a Super Bowl contender. Heck, most fans and experts would agree that the Steelers aren’t even a good team despite their poor record.
So is LeBron admitting the Lakers aren’t a great team? This may sound far-fetched, but we have to remember who we are talking about here. LeBron is thoughtful about what he says to the media and when he says it.
LeBron basically admitted that the Lakers Show was a subpar team. While this may not mean anything now, it could lead to the team making roster changes later in the season. After all, LeBron has a lot of influence over Rob Pelinka’s moves.
The Lakers should be like the Kansas City Chiefs or Philadelphia Eagles, not the Pittsburgh Steelers. Even LeBron knows this.