LeBron James reveals why he likes Lakers' current direction despite heavy Wizards loss
LEBRON JAMES is pleased with the “the direction” in which the Los Angeles Lakers are headed and insists their heavy defeat to the Washington Wizards does not change his optimistic outlook.
LA Lakers: Walton says he’s ‘pleased’ with young core players
The four-time MVP himself had a forgettable night with a season-low 13 points as the Lakers lost 128-110 having been down as many as 25.
That saw the Lakers suffer a second defeat in three games on the road before they conclude their four-game trip against the Brooklyn Nets.
The Lakers are 18-12 to the season as they seek to end a five-year playoff drought.
Despite his off-night in Washington, LeBron will undoubtedly have a huge say if LA are to enjoy a strong post-season return.
And he remains confident that Luke Walton’s team are on the right path, even though they failed miserably to deal with John Wall at Capital One Arena.
LeBron touched upon the Lakers’ missing figures in Brandon Ingram, Rajon Rondo, JaVale McGee and Michael Beasley as they fell to the Wizards - and insists the defeat should not distract from their continuous improvement.
“The positives of this season is we've gotten better every week since the season started and every month,” the 33-year-old told the media.
“If we can continue to do that, when April hits we'll be right where we want to be, so I like the direction we're headed in.
We’re a good team. Let’s not take anything away from that.
“We’re a good team. Let’s not take anything away from that.
“Tonight it was just one of those instances we didn’t play well.
“We’ve got a lot of our big money guys - I don’t mean pay-checks, just big-time players - who aren’t playing right now because of injury or sickness.
“I don’t put too much on this game. I’m looking forward to seeing if we can finish this road trip and go .500 on Tuesday.”
The Lakers are fourth in the Western Conference, just ahead of rivals and Staples Center cohabitants the LA Clippers.
But competition is fierce from fifth way down to 14th, with the Lakers far from guaranteed a playoff place in the talent-packed West despite boasting a player of LeBron’s abilities.
NBA legend Charles Barkley declared last month on NBA on TNT: “The Lakers aren't a good team.
“The Lakers are a 6th, 7th, 8th seed at best. They're going to smell the playoffs, but it's going to be a short smell."
LeBron and co. face the Nets on Tuesday night (4.30pm PST/Wednesday 12.30am UK time) before returning to California to host Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans later this week.