There are few things scarier than great players motivated by past failures to achieve greatness.
Before the 2023–24 NBA season begins, two such players are LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
The Los Angeles Lakers’ stars are eager to not only return there but also lift the Larry O’Brien trophy for the first time since the shortened 2020 season, according to head coach Darvin Ham, who spoke to Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times. The Lakers’ faces have not forgotten the devastating four-game loss to the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals this past June.
Winning has a way of bringing people together at the hip. But losing also does. And I just think it ignited a fire in everyone because of how we lost and how difficult those four games were, and we saw a glimpse of how good we could be.
He continued, ” “And then you give us an offseason where we go and add additional pieces that are going to be key pieces for us and in our mix and in our program. And then the leadership from Bron and [Anthony Davis], their wisdom that they’ve been able to impart on the younger guys, the new guys, the guys that are returning and how that has been like Crazy Glue.”
You have a stronger team that is determined to atone for last year’s heartbreaking disappointment when you take into account the wealth of talent the team either brought on board (Christian Wood) or re-signed (Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, D’Angelo Russell, and Jarred Vanderbilt).
James has acted and spoken in the proper manner.
James has made the appropriate statements at a time when the Lakers’ season opener against the same Denver team that eliminated them from the postseason has received a lot of attention.
He denounced the idea that the team was too focused on the Nuggets, saying, “I don’t get motivated against [who] the opponents [are] pretty much anymore” and added, “I don’t need it. I don’t want to say I don’t get motivated to play, because I do get motivated to go against the competition, I love competing against the best. But I don’t need an individual or a team to motivate me. I’m self-motivated. I’m enough.”
James also talked up Davis as one of the franchise’s greatest big men. “We’re co-captains, and he’s just as much a leader of this team as I am. He’s everything that this franchise could ever want and more; he’s one of the greatest bigs to play for this franchise for sure.”
This is the behavior of a team captain who understands the value that championship ambition and encouraging feedback can bring to a group of players off the court.
Reaves put on a show last year, supporting the Lakers’ postseason run. Coming off the bench, Hachimura played a significant role for the team. James and Davis displayed championship caliber play.
Watching the Nuggets celebrate their trip to the NBA Finals has fueled their resolve, and the motivated team is a matchup that no one wants to face.