The Los Angeles Lakers made a sizable shift in roster construction this offseason. For the first time since the 2017-18 season, they don’t have LeBron James on their roster. His departure unquestionably left Luka Dončić as the face of the “Lake Show,” if he wasn’t already.
Like most teams, the Lakers have played just one game so far this season, defeating the Golden State Warriors convincingly by a score of 127-105. It’s a small sample size, yet for some, that’s enough to form a firm opinion on JJ Redick’s new-look roster, one that no longer features the NBA’s all-time scoring leader.
Skip Bayless Claims Lakers Are ‘Better Off’ Without LeBron James
While there’s plenty of debate over who the greatest basketball player of all time is, most would agree that James belongs at the forefront of the conversation with Michael Jordan. Despite his Hall of Fame-worthy accomplishments, the Lakers and James parted ways this offseason.
Yet Skip Bayless is now claiming that the Lakers are actually “better off” without James.
“The Lakers are better – and better off – without LeBron James. Luka resented his presence, wanted this to be HIS team. LeBron wanted to play at least one more year in Hollywood. Lakers said no, enough,” Bayless tweeted Thursday.
Bayless suggested that Dončić “resented” James’ presence. Yet, the six-time All-Star has said that the way James approached the game was “very respectable” while noting he had “so much fun playing with him.” But those days are now in the past.
With James now in Philadelphia, Dončić scored 28 points on 7-for-18 shooting from the field, including 5-for-12 from beyond the arc against Golden State. He also recorded 7 assists, 8 rebounds, and 3 steals, but committed 6 turnovers. Nevertheless, the new-look Lakers cruised to victory, leading for 84% of the game and by as many as 35 points.
After saying goodbye to James, the Lakers acquired center Walker Kessler on a four-year, $129.5 million contract in a sign-and-trade deal in exchange for two unprotected first-round picks (2031 and 2033) and two pick swaps (2028 and 2030).
Kessler was dominant in his Lakers debut, making all 12 of his field-goal attempts while logging 26 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks. His interior presence helped the Lakers win on the glass, outrebounding the Warriors 43-36.
While it’s hard to blame James for teaming up to form a star-studded 76ers starting five, time will tell whether the Lakers truly are better off without the franchise icon selling tickets and jerseys.
In some ways, maybe Los Angeles really did need to rip the James Band-Aid off, seeing it as the best path forward to building around their new superstar. Yet, others might suggest that having one of basketball’s all-time greats around to impart his wisdom and winning ways to the rest of the roster wouldn’t be a bad thing. At least the 76ers certainly don’t think so.
Either way, James is now on a two-year deal with the 76ers, while the Lakers are focused on building around Dončić. With the season underway, it’s finally time to start evaluating whether both teams made the right decisions. Bayless, however, has already formed his opinion.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.