LeBron James leaving the Los Angeles Lakers and deciding to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers was probably the biggest landscape-altering move that happened this offseason. However, it appears that there are people who are downplaying the effects of the superstar spurning his former ball club, the latest of which is Derek Fisher, who says the Lakers will not fall off despite his eventful exit from LA.
Fisher, who won five championships with the Lakers, recently said that despite James leaving the franchise, LA will not crater. He points to the fact that they have an All-Star backcourt in Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, believing that those two have what it takes to lead their squad to 45 to 50 games in the regular season. Well, good luck with that kind of prognosis.
Derek Fisher makes bold Lakers claim despite LeBron leaving for 76ers
Most people will consider James' final year with the Lakers as his weakest campaign yet, at least when looking at the regular season. The new 76ers star ceded his usual role, taking a backseat not only to Doncic, but also to Reaves. Los Angeles finished with 53 wins and just 29 losses in a jam-packed West, good for fourth in the conference. Still, James' reliable play in crunch time was a major reason for them winning a bunch of games despite their unremarkable team-wide figures.
That being said, it was also LeBron who made it possible for the Lakers to even win a playoff series. Without his two co-stars, James carried them to a first-round series dub over the Rockets.
Now that LeBron left the franchise to head to Philadelphia, the Lakers will no longer have one of the best closers the league has ever seen. That, and the fact that the West has only gotten even tougher while LA lost a bunch of key players, make Fisher's claim an overly optimistic one.
Heck, one could argue that the Lakers are not even a guaranteed playoff team in the West. Sure, they might have a top-five player in Luka, but their supporting cast is hardly inspiring enough to convince people that they can make real noise in the brutal race out West.
LeBron James going to the 76ers tremendously raises the team's collective floor and ceiling. Conversely, him leaving the Lakers pushes them down a notch or two in the pecking order out West until and unless proven otherwise.
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