Former Los Angeles Lakers guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has recently asserted that the Lakers’ decision to dismantle their 2020 championship-winning roster may have cost LeBron James two additional NBA titles. In a conversation on Dwight Howard’s podcast, Above the Rim, Caldwell-Pope emphasized the exceptional chemistry and camaraderie of the 2020 team, stating, “That team, we had a lot of moments where everything just clicked for us… I think if we kept that team together, we wouldโve run off two more. There would be no more GOAT talk, that wouldโve put [LeBron] at six.”
The 2020 Lakers, led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis, showcased a balanced and cohesive unit, featuring key contributors like Caldwell-Pope, Rajon Rondo, Dwight Howard, and Danny Green. Their synergy was evident both on and off the court, culminating in a championship victory during the NBA’s bubble season.
However, subsequent roster changes disrupted this harmony. The departures of pivotal players such as Rondo, Howard, and Green in the following seasons led to a decline in team performance, with the Lakers struggling to replicate their previous success. Caldwell-Pope believes that maintaining the core group could have secured additional championships, potentially elevating LeBron’s total to six and solidifying his status in the GOAT debate.
This perspective has sparked discussions among basketball enthusiasts and analysts, with some agreeing that the Lakers’ roster decisions post-2020 may have hindered their championship prospects. As the debate continues, the impact of team dynamics and management decisions on a player’s legacy remains a focal point of NBA discourse.