Your Los Angeles Lakers. The advantage can sometimes be the obstacle. Being the marquee franchise of the NBA has its obvious advantages. Fans of the Los Angeles Lakers have the advantage of being well versed in what good basketball should look like – what championship level basketball should look like. The difference between good basketball and championship level basketball can be small and nuanced but fans who are used to seeing it can usually identify the differences.
The expectations of a superstar player on the Lakeshow are different than what you’ll find in other cities for their superstar players. Laker fans don’t want to hear the incoherent musings of a barely interested player in a press conference after an ugly loss. Considering that almost every generation of current Laker fan has seen what a championship run entails; they aren’t likely to accept the failings of star players who apparently aren’t holding themselves accountable.
You should expect when you put on a purple and gold uniform to be held to the highest standard— and to be held to it when you fall short of that standard. Aggressive, uncompromising defense is championship level basketball. Dominant, aggressive post play is what you expect for championship level basketball. Aggressive isn’t a word, it’s the attitude inside of what it takes to play championship basketball. 
Sometimes people mistakenly think the reason why it’s difficult to play for the Los Angeles Lakers is because there are a lot of distractions in Los Angeles. On some level that’s true – but when you’re playing championship level basketball; those things don’t distract you too much.
There’s a long list of recent Lakers who didn’t quite live up to expectations while they were in a Laker uniform; but once they left it seems like they- blossomed a little bit.
Brandon Ingram, Julius Randall, Kyle Kuzma, Ivica Zubac, Deangelo Russell, Lonzo Ball; stop me if you see a trend here. Laker nation will support you in every arena that you play; so long as you perform like the player they expected you to be when you became Laker family.
Brandon Ingram sputtered; Julius Randall never really developed as a Laker. Kyle Kuzma was never who you needed him to be when you needed him to be it. Ivica Zubac… What was his impact as a Laker?
Laker fans understand slumps and off nights, but not a lack of accountability or a player’s refusal to acknowledge the reality of their performance. When you magnify the spotlight, sometimes it can be too bright. To be constantly reminded of your shortcomings as a team by the media and fan base can be crushing if you’re not able to stand up under it.
In most situations, Lebron stands up under the pressure given to him. High expectations are the standard for him in his career and he’s done nothing but excel.
It’s not like everybody can just go play like Lebron; but some of his more important teammates haven’t stood up to the pressure the way he continuously has.
The heat and glare from a knowledgeable fan base can make things uncomfortable post game for players who refuse to be accountable. Laker media has questioned championship level, Hall of Fame player talent for the most part of several decades. You can’t dodge your failings in a presser for long without dissection from Laker microphones.
The pressure to live up to championship expectations can be too much for some. The players need to be connected and invested in the common championship goal. More than just being connected – the team needs and identity and last year’s Laker squad didn’t have one. Let’s see what type of (hopefully) defensive minded identity this year’s Laker squad has under Darvin Ham.
This team was designed for Lebron to do what he has always done – lead and dominate. Anthony Davis was brought in to be a dominant paint presence and stretch opposing defenses with his ability to shoot the mid range to deep jumpers.
He hasn’t done that the last two years. Part of the problem is that he hasn’t been able to stay on the floor very much. He’s a formidable paint defender and he does have a presence as a rebounder… When he feels like it.
Therein lies the problem with Anthony Davis. His game time habit isn’t to dominate whoever the opponent is; it’s to take fadeaway jumpers just outside of the painted area. Lebron James is going to impact the game positively every time he steps on the floor. You can’t say that as obviously about Anthony Davis.
When you build a team and design it to feature Lebron and Anthony Davis, to go long stretches where you don’t get enough from Anthony Davis lends to a team without the identity it was designed to have. Last season’s disjointed start for the Lakers, the collapse of Westbrook’s confidence, these things developed as the season progressed.
As the season continued the spotlight wilted the energy of a few Lakers noticeably. The playmaking ability of Lebron kept them afloat – but Anthony Davis absence even when he was on the floor at times was glaring.
That is the effect of wearing that purple and gold iconic uniform in the house built by Laker lineage. The Lake show is always under the spotlight, inspiring admiration, envy, and hate alike. Smaller market teams and players don’t feel the expectations that simply putting on a Laker uniform bring.
There are teams with no championship banners – and there are teams with 17. If organizationally you can’t honestly say that you know what it takes to win a ring; it becomes harder to hold everyone accountable to the championship standard.
The flipside is, when the building is stacked with championship DNA; the how to, and what to do to win a title become a matter of fact – not speculation. It makes the losses so much more disappointing to a fan base that knows what a championship team does; or does not look like.
Laker fans know what uninspired defense looks like. Fans of the Lakeshow have definitely seen what it looks like when an all-time player has the ball and everybody else on the floor looks like they’re watching the game like the rest of the fans. No movement, no flow, no direction, no identity.
The Lakeshow effect is the weight of heightened expectations on a player when they join one of the most iconic franchises in the world. The eyes of an entire metropolis are on the purple and gold; and they feel it.
