The Los Angeles Lakers just got swept out of the NBA playoffs by the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder—and yes, that’s the headline-grabbing story. But if we’re being honest about the Lakers' season as a whole, there’s another reality that deserves attention: without LeBron James, this team probably doesn’t even make the playoffs.
When Stephen A. Smith was asked on First Take for his thoughts on the Lakers' season, he didn’t hold back. “This season, to me, solidified a level of greatness for LeBron that has gone vastly underappreciated.” And here’s the thing—he’s right.
At 41 years old, James was still the engine keeping the Lakers alive for most of the year. The roster had glaring flaws all season long, from inconsistent shooting to defensive lapses. Yet, despite those issues, the Lakers found themselves in the postseason because LeBron kept doing things players his age simply aren’t supposed to do.
People are already forgetting how close the Lakers came to an early exit against the Houston Rockets in the play-in. James controlled the tempo, created offense, and made winning play after winning play when the team desperately needed them. That series reminded everyone that even at this stage of his career, LeBron can still take over stretches of playoff basketball.
Against Oklahoma City, though, reality finally caught up. The Thunder are younger, deeper, and built for a championship run. Unlike previous opponents, they had the personnel to survive even when LeBron played well. That’s not an indictment of James—it’s just the reality of where the Lakers roster stands compared to a title-level team like OKC.
Can LeBron still carry a team through four straight playoff rounds the way he once did? Probably not. That’s fair to say. But there’s a massive difference between “not capable of carrying a title team alone anymore” and “still being the reason your season mattered at all.”
The Lakers were much closer to irrelevance than contention this year. LeBron prevented that. So Stephen A. is spot on—LeBron deserves tons of credit for what he was able to do this season. It’s a reminder that greatness doesn’t always come with a championship ring; sometimes, it’s just about keeping your team in the fight.