'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
It's been an absolutely remarkable career for Los Angeles Lakers superstar forward LeBron James. When LeBron finally decides to call it a career and retire, there's no doubt that fans are going to consider him one of the most successful players in NBA History. Even though he might not have won the most NBA Championships ever, LeBron is still a player that was often expected to still be playing when the NBA Playoffs came around.
LeBron James has had such a rich history when it comes to making the playoffs. It doesn't necessarily mean that his team always started the regular season on a positive note. With the Los Angeles Lakers losing last night's game to the Phoenix Suns, it means that the Lakers are starting out the year 0-2. The first week of the regular season is always a dangerous time when it comes to fans overreacting if their team struggles to start the year. But what's even more interesting is that this isn't the first time that LeBron James has started a year out 0-2 in the regular season. In total, James has seen his team start out the year with two straight losses a total of five times. Let's take a look at those five years in which LeBron's team started the year out a bit slow.
#5 2003-04, Welcome to the NBA
After being selected with the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, many fans wanted to see if LeBron James could deliver on the hype of being one of the top prospects to ever come out of the high school ranks. James would shine during his rookie year, but his team struggled out of the gate in a big way. The Cleveland Cavaliers would go on to start the year with five consecutive losses. They finally managed to beat the Washington Wizards at home during their sixth game. The team would take a big leap forward compared to the previous year, but they would go on to finish the season with a 35-47 record.
#4 2004-05, Improving quickly
In just his second year in the NBA, LeBron James would take a massive leap when it came to his production on the court. After averaging 20.9 points per game as a rookie, James saw his numbers spike to 27.2 points per game, and he would go on to make his first All-Star team appearance. Unfortunately for the team, the Cavaliers got off to another slow start. They went on to lose their first three games of the regular season, including a double overtime loss on opening night against the Indiana Pacers. The team would bounce back though, as they went on to finish above .500 with a record of 42-40. It would be the final season before James made his first NBA Playoffs.
#3 2009-10, Slow start to a great season
This would eventually become the final year in which LeBron James played for the Cleveland Cavaliers before signing with the Miami Heat in the offseason. The year didn't start out great for the Cavaliers after they lost two consecutive games, including a 101-91 loss on the road against the Toronto Raptors. Although the team struggled early on, they went on to finish the season with a 61-21 record and James would finish the season averaging 29.7 points per game.
#2 2018-19, New but tough start in Los Angeles
After making the decision to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers after four seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, James headed into the 2018-19 season ready to make his presence felt for his new team. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a brutal first year with the Lakers. The team would start out the year with three consecutive losses. Their third loss was a 143-142 loss in overtime against the San Antonio Spurs. The team would struggle throughout the year and would finish with a 37-45 record. James dealt with some injuries throughout the year and eventually sat out at the end of the season. That would be the end of a number of pieces surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers that year. Former head coach Luke Walton was let go, and the team looked motivated to get things right in a hurry.
#1 2021-22, Here we go again
As hinted before, the Los Angeles Lakers lost the other night to the Phoenix Suns, making it the fifth time in LeBron James' career in which he has started out the regular season 0-2. But if history has shown us anything, it's that the Los Angeles Lakers don't need to panic. While this is the fifth season in which James has had his team start the year out 0-2, it is also a bit remarkable if you look at the performance over the years. James has played 19-years in the NBA and the fact that this has only happened five times should make Lakers fans sleep a little better at night.
There's no doubt that the Lakers have a team filled with an impressive amount of talent. The truth is that this type of thing can happen often when teams are starting out the regular season. It takes players and teams time to find their groove. Some of the star players around the league have even struggled when it comes to shooting to start the year and have brushed off any concern, as it's something that simply happens often. At the end of the day, there's simply too much talent on this Lakers roster to believe they won't figure it out and have a successful year. If history has told us anything, it's that LeBron James has found himself in this position before and he's had some success with turning it around in a hurry.
