NBA: Should LeBron and the Los Angeles Lakers move on from the 2018-2019 season?

Losing back-to-back games since declaring that he’s switching to playoff mode prematurely to keep the Los Angeles Lakers’ playoff aspirations alive, LeBron James has instead turned the blame-game button on and thus dug a deeper hole that the Lakers may not able to climb out of before the postseason unfolds.

A victim of unfavorable circumstances, ranging from unfortunate injuries to his key teammates and himself and the eventual trades done in anticipation of the much-hyped but failed acquisition of Anthony Davis, LeBron and the Lakers saw a big turn-around in their 2018-2019 campaign placing as high as third in the west sometime in December down to their season-worst current 11th place.

A consistent winner as an NBA player, James has voiced out his displeasure at his team’s lowly showing and seemingly lack of interest of salvaging their season, but outside the Lakers, not a few basketball experts have singled him out as the main culprit.

LeBron has been talking a lot about his younger teammates and the way they are behaving after the trade deadline

What are the best moves for the LeBron and Los Angeles from this point on?

Stop the blame-game. Before it goes off-hand and causes irreparable damage to the team, James must make noise in the locker room instead and positively motivate his teammates to play better.

Besides, learning takes time and if they fail to learn the lessons now, chances are LeBron would reap what he sow later on. The lofty expectations have been tendered to a level that should not burden LeBron and the Lakers anymore.

Stop talking and start playing. The aftermath of their losses turned out to be more damaging as unpleasant words are being spewed out in press conferences. And besides, them being on the spotlight is no big help as every move is being magnified. It’s about time for LeBron to talk less and let his game do the talking. He is not one of the best players of all-time for nothing. His greatness will soon rub off to his teammates.

Stop thinking about the playoffs and look beyond this season. If they still make the playoffs despite all the negative things that have been hounding their chances, fine. If they don’t make it to the next level, it should be fine too.

Kyle Kuzma is one of the players with the most potential in the current Lakers roster

LeBron’s legacy won’t be that affected given the unfavourable circumstances that marred their campaign. A promising 2019-2020 is waiting for the purple-and-gold as they can afford to give LeBron not just one but two legit superstars as his sidekicks for the next season.