Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James admitted that the Lakers need to play “close to perfect basketball” because of how their roster is constructed after Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.
James’ comments echoed a similar sentiment from head coach J.J. Redick, who said that the Lakers “don’t have a huge margin for error.”
After the Lakers’ loss to the Clippers, JJ Redick admitted: “We don’t have a huge margin for error. … Nor can we create that margin organically.”
LeBron James’ response? “That’s the way our team is constructed. … We have to play close to perfect basketball [to win].” pic.twitter.com/JY3za08U0j
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) January 20, 2025
The Lakers dropped Sunday’s matchup with the Clippers by a score of 116-102, as they were unable to overcome a 15-point halftime deficit.
James finished Sunday’s game with 25 points (on 9-of-20 shooting from the field), five rebounds and 11 assists. He also had three steals for the Lakers.
The loss dropped the Lakers to 22-18 in the 2024-25 season, and they currently hold the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference. While James and the Lakers would avoid the league’s play-in tournament if they finish with a top-six spot, they are just 1.5 games up on the No. 11-seeded Golden State Warriors.
So, a few losses could drastically impact the Lakers’ season with so many teams packed into the playoff chase in the Western Conference.
The NBA’s trade deadline is approaching, and it’s possible that James’ comments are a way of him signaling to the front office that a deal needs to be made.
The Lakers already made a trade during the 2024-25 season, shipping out guard D’Angelo Russell in a deal that brought wing Dorian Finney-Smith and guard Shake Milton to Los Angeles from the Brooklyn Nets.
While Finney-Smith is a solid wing defender, he has struggled to find his footing on offense with the Lakers. In seven games, Finney-Smith is averaging just 5.9 points in 23.4 minutes per game. He’s shooting 40.0 percent from the field and 36.0 percent from 3, but he failed to score a single point in Sunday’s loss to the Clippers.
Since James turned 40 years old last month, it makes sense that the Lakers superstar would want a chance to chase a title this season. It’s unclear how much longer the future Hall of Famer has left in his NBA career, and it appears that this Lakers team has flaws that make it hard for the team to win without playing “close to perfect basketball.”
It’ll be interesting to see if the Lakers end up making another move to improve the roster around James for a postseason push.
