“The question facing the Lakers is no longer how much James can give them in Year 19” – Bill Oram puts onus on LA Lakers to help LeBron James get fifth ring

LA Lakers superstar LeBron James turned 37 Thursday, and his play still continues to impress. In his 19th NBA season, James has consistently produced at a high level as "Father Time" has yet to significantly slow him down.

Unfortunately for James, the Lakers (17-19) continue to struggle. Los Angeles is seventh in the Western Conference and has lost six of its last seven games.

There's no doubt James can be dominant on any given night, but the rest of the Lakers roster has been largely ineffective.

In a recent article from The Athletic's Bill Oram, the Lakers beat writer wrote about how Los Angeles needs to provide better backing for James.

"The question facing the Lakers is no longer how much James can give them in Year 19, but whether they can give James enough in return for him to make a serious run at a fifth championship," Oram wrote.

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Can the Lakers give LeBron the necessary help?

LA Lakers forward LeBron James

The burning question around the NBA is whether the LA Lakers can return to the level of play to contend for a championship.

As the team continues to slide in the Western Conference, the supporting cast has been disappointing on a variety of levels. After the Lakers acquired star guard Russell Westbrook in the offseason, the Lakers looked to be in position to be a contender in the West. Instead, the Lakers have had trouble with shooting and defensive consistency.

Also, superstar forward Anthony Davis is expected to be sidelined until at least late January after suffering an MCL sprain.

It all puts a lot of pressure on James to carry the Lakers, and he's done everything possible in his power to do so. In his last five games, LeBron has averaged 35.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 57.9%, including 45.0% from 3-point range. The problem is that the Lakers have gone 1-4 in those games.

Time will tell if the Lakers can resolve their issues and give James enough of a boost to make a playoff run. With the trade deadline of Feb. 10 inching closer, many have wondered if the Lakers will shake things up and make a trade. There's no denying that James has proved any doubters wrong about his playing ability at the age of 37. But the Lakers need to find a way to give him more help.