Wait, wait, wait patiently. Has not the Los Angeles Lakers’ first time with LeBron James been an unmitigated disaster?
You can call it , sure. But don’t forget we’re talking about James’ first time in Hollywood. He is signed on for at least two and, besides shouldering some blows in the injury bug, he often looks like the most dominant force of the league.
That is where the Lakers’ foundation starts. It may be enough on its own to warrant our top place.
But there’s more to consider here.
Former No. 2 select Brandon Ingram was in the middle of a breakout before deep venous thrombosis prematurely finished his third season. Kyle Kuzma, the diamond in the rough of a year, has pushed almost all his categories that were counting forward. Lonzo Ball continued flood stat sheets together with per-36-minute marks of 11.8 points, 6.5 assists and 6.3 rebounds prior to an ankle injury closed him down.
Kuzma is 23 years old; Ball and Ingram are 21. Whether they’re commerce chips or building blocks, they remain valuable assets.
They’ll need more win-now help if the Lakers are going to make a tournament run with James. But given their financial flexibility, young talent and possible top-10 select this summerthey possess the means to snag a star (or more) for the second straight offseason.

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