For the better part of the last three months, is feels as though every NBA storyline has run through LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. This is unsurprising though, as the NBA has been dictated through James for quite some time now.
His being with the league’s most marketable team only exaggerates that. Not only has the media circus found its way to Los Angeles to cover every angle possible of James’ first season with the Lakers, many NBA players have also shared their opinion on the team Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka built.
The most recent to do this is Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson, who has seen plenty of James in the last four NBA finals, and knows first hand just how dominant he can be.
Now, Thompson is saying that James and the Lakers will for sure be a playoff team, with the door being open for even more, via Mark Medina of Mercury News:
“I definitely expect them to make the playoffs because I expect their young guys to make a huge leap,” Warriors guard Klay Thompson said after practice on Tuesday. “They usually do from their second or third year. I expect them to be in absolute playoff contention. Championship contention, I’m not sure. You have to wait and see. It takes a lot of work.”
Thompson, unlike some analysts, seems to believe that the Lakers young core will be a large reason for their success. Many have criticized the Lakers for not taking a more traditional approach in building a team around James.
There have been other Warriors players, namely Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, who have made their own comments about the Lakers, but Thompson’s remarks especially interesting.
This is because Thompson has been speculated about countless times to possibly be a candidate to sign with the Lakers in 2019 NBA free agency.
While there is plenty to unfold until then, Thompson clearly sees a bright future for this Lakers team. Whether that’s just a passing compliment or a hint of future decisions remains to be seen. But for now, it’s good to see other players appreciating what the Lakers have built.
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