The Philadelphia 76ers just got an all-important glimpse into their regular season schedule for the upcoming campaign, and as expected, they will be one of the showcased teams on Christmas Day. They are set to take on the Los Angeles Lakers on the road, and riding the storyline, LeBron James could very well hand his team more than just a beatdown on one of the league's most highly anticipated festivities.
A lot of fans and pundits gave LeBron a lot of flak for his decision not to stay in LA and find a new home in free agency. The fact that he chose a loaded team in the 76ers certainly did not help, as many now perceive him to be ring-chasing as he approaches the twilight of his career. Well, people seem to be forgetting that part and parcel of James' decision is that the Lakers are simply not contenders as currently constructed.
LeBron and the 76ers could send the Lakers a brutal reminder on Christmas
The Lakers are simply not up to par with the heavyweights in the West. The Spurs and the Thunder are in a league of their own, with the Timberwolves, Nuggets, and Rockets behind them. Heck, they did not really make enough moves for people to be confident in making the assessment that they improved this summer.
In fact, one could argue that the Lakers got worse this offseason. Losing LeBron obviously hurts, but they also lost their entire starting five from the playoffs that carried them to the second round, when Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves were both injured.
People initially believed that LeBron was not going anywhere, but he decided to leave the franchise, implying that he did not view them as contenders. Well, now that he is on a much better team with the 76ers, he has the prime opportunity to prove that he made the right call while also making it abundantly clear to the Lakers that they are far from being a real championship contender.
On paper, the Lakers do not even compare to the 76ers, assuming both teams are fully healthy, of course. In a matchup between both teams, Doncic is probably the best player, but Philly takes the cake for all of the others after him on that list.
Really, people should not even fault LeBron for spurning the Lakers to head to Philly. Anyone in his position would see the team which stands very little chance to make the Finals, much less win the title. Now, it is only a matter of time until LeBron James makes his detractors eat their words.
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