The blame was never really on LeBron James after the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2024 playoffs. He was one of the key players who kept what otherwise was a mediocre team to the playoffs at the ripe old age of 39, after all.
The blame was shifted more towards other factors. Fans claimed the team didn’t perform enough to the level expected out of King James’ teammates. Darvin Ham didn’t properly manage the team and got axed in his only second year of leading the team. Big names are already linked to the job to convince LeBron to stay with the team for one more season.
However, one analyst calls out LeBron out for not doing what a leader is supposed to do: claiming responsibility for his team’s shortcomings.
Reggie Miller takes a jab at LeBron James for not taking responsibility for the Los Angeles Lakers’ postseason struggles
Reggie Miller was covering the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Game 4 loss to the Denver Nuggets when he discussed what Anthony Edwards told the media about his team’s embarrassing defeat in Game 3.
While he applauded the young star for stepping up, he made a thinly-veiled jab at LeBron for allowing the Lakers and its fans to point the blame at anyone but himself.
Per The Spun’s Andrew Holleran:
“I’m an even bigger fan of Anthony Edwards. We’ve got certain guys with veteran status in our game that are on a lot of people’s Mount Rushmore that like to deflect and point fingers at others. Here’s a 22-year-old saying, it’s my fault. And I applaud that,” Miller said.
There’s no other player in the league right now who fits the mold Miller was referring to than LeBron. Moreover, it doesn’t help that throughout his years as a player, there hasn’t been any coach who has had a total grip on his play and have him adjust to their system.
As LeBron continues to chase the elusive fifth ring, it’ll become clearer that he cannot just keep up with just expecting things to get better while he continues to do what he’s always done in his career. His 27.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 8.8 assists, and 2.4 steals a game weren’t enough to push the Lakers past the Nuggets.
Something has to change with how LeBron approaches the game. Otherwise, Los Angeles Lakers fans can expect more of the same thing if they manage to keep him around next year.
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