It’s back to the drawing board for the Lakers. They seemed like the favourites to clash against the Thunder in the WCF. “Lakers in 5,” said Shannon Sharpe. But did the pressure get to them? They got out in 5 instead, sending the entire fanbase into disarray. There were still a lot of positives to draw, like LeBron James showing the NBA how it’s done at 40, while also signing a future HOF in Luka Doncic. But LeBron’s won it all, and he sees something that the LakeShow is missing in order to win – a team.

On Mind The Game, James and Steve Nash spoke extensively on that first-round loss. What eventually caused them to crash out 4-1 to the Timberwolves? According to James, it was the reliance on individual brilliance over team cohesion that made the difference.

“For me, I have definitely learned over the years that teams win championship. Teams always win championships. Yes, individuals get a lot of accolades. Collective group, you know, wins championships. You have your big guys who make big plays at the end of the games, throughout the game. Whatever the case may be. But ultimately teams win championships,” said LeBron on the podcast.

One example is the Boston Celtics. They’ve had the most points-per-possession, in 1.21. In terms of the other metrics, the Pacers lead in assists-per-game in 29.7 and assists-per-turnover ratio in 2.4. All of these stats indicate a strong team game. The Lakers meanwhile rank 7th in both points-per-possession and assists-per-game, with 1.1 and 21.2 respectively, and around the middle-tier in assists-per-turnover ratio at 1.5.

So these are the demands to Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka- find a good team, instead of just 15 individual players. And that speaks volumes of the season. For some reason, LeBron James and Luka Doncic are the only ones receiving the heat. Did the people forget there’s other people on the court playing the same game?

LeBron James: “There’s eight other guys on the floor”

Let’s take the Timberwolves as a comparison. Anthony Edwards really dissappointed in the first half of Game 1 against the Warriors in the semis. But they still managed to trail by just 5 points heading into the second half. This shows how good their whole team us- stepping up when the defacto leader doesn’t. But if Broncic doesn’t show up for a game- there’s no exact metrics to define such a situation, but Lakers fans know how much they’d lack. And the King made sure to point this out on his podcast.

“And I understand it’s never about me and Luka. It was never about Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle. It was always Minnesota versus the Lakers. And I understand that. And I’m at a point in my career now, where I don’t lose sleep over how did me and Luka lose? There’s eight other guys on the floor,” said James.

Doncic and LeBron have contributed roughly 33-40% of the Lakers’ total points since Doncic’s debut. Bron (500-600) and Luka (450-550) have gotten 950-1150 of the Lakers’ 2,875 points this season (all approx figures). Doesn’t that justify equal blame to the rest of the squad too?

So the message is clear- the Lakers have to play as a team instead of relying solely on the excellence of LeBron James and Luka Doncic. Individual plays will win you games, but team plays will win you championships. So the blame can’t lie on them solely.