Playing for the Los Angeles Lakers is sometimes a gift and a curse. They are arguably the most iconic franchise in sports history, meaning their players get the glitz and glamour associated with the name whenever they suit up in LA.
However, that also means that there is a microscope on everything happening with the team, often creating heightened expectations and scrutiny.
The Lakers, led by two of the game’s biggest stars in LeBron James and Luka Doncic, have experienced it firsthand over the last two seasons.
After volatile up-and-down stretches in the last calendar year, they finally seem to be hitting their stride, with Doncic and James currently playing their best basketball while leading the team to a 9-1 record this month.
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They have shot all the way up to the third seed in the Western Conference, and their confidence is sky high after back-to-back wins over the Houston Rockets led by Kevin Durant.
When asked about his feelings on the Lakers’ recent success, Doncic said, “This is just the start of something beautiful.”
Lakers fans and media analysts have been consistently mocked for considering the team to be contenders, with NBA legend Charles Barkley most recently hoping for the team to lose so they aren’t added in championship discussions.
While they may not have been world beaters earlier in the season, Los Angeles has recently shown that they can hang with some of the most talented teams in the league.
If they keep up this feverish pace, they could earn themselves a favorable matchup in the first round of the playoffs and make some serious noise.
We already know what the floor is for the Lakers, but right now it feels like the sky is the limit.
