Before the season began, the Los Angeles Lakers’ depth had been a topic of discussion, as LeBron James and Anthony Davis were given respectable supporting cast members by the front office. 

But L.A. was never able to enjoy the benefits of having a well-balanced team because of injuries.

By the time the regular season comes to a close, Christian Wood and Jarred Vanderbilt are still missing from the Lakers’ rotation. The purple and gold, however, must continue without them because they are now in better health than they have been in a long time.

Taking everything into account, the Lakers managed to accumulate enough victories to secure their spot as the seventh seed once more. Role players were the key to these victories, and James is happy with everyone’s contribution going into the postseason, according to Spectrum SportsNet:

That has been my season-long tone. How well we play will depend on our ability to get healthy or, once we are, how healthy we can become. We still lack a significant element in Vando, but this is as healthy as we’ve been. But tonight, we demonstrated our attacking and defensive capabilities. We currently have a solid bunch that plays well, rotates well, and arrives prepared.

Although it is encouraging to see everyone contribute, James and Davis must bear the bulk of the responsibility on both sides of the ball throughout the postseason. The 39-year-old is not pacing himself because of the intense nature of playoff game now that it is high stakes basketball:

“There’s no more tempo. For what purpose should you pace yourself? Now it’s a sprint. We’ve already completed the marathon. I go above and above. Now that the season is finished, winning games is all that matters.

This is particularly true as the Lakers get ready to play the Denver Nuggets, the reigning champions. At some point during their postseason run, Los Angeles must defeat Denver in order to win a title, and everyone will need to contribute if they hope to have any chance of pulling off this upset.

LeBron James: To beat the Nuggets, the Lakers need to play “mistake-free basketball.”

With the Lakers having lost their previous eight games against the Nuggets, it is clear that they have very little margin for error. 

LeBron James is aware of how much more of an impact the playoffs have on this, stating that Los Angeles must play “mistake-free basketball” in order to upset Denver.