LeBron James: Lakers simply ‘failed in talent’ in loss to Thunder, playoff exit

The way LeBron James sees it, the Los Angeles Lakers didn’t lose to the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder because of effort, toughness or coaching.

They simply didn’t have enough firepower.

Speaking on the latest episode of his “Mind the Game” podcast with Steve Nash, James said the Lakers “were out-talented” by Oklahoma City in their second-round playoff loss.

“We were not outworked, they didn’t out-physical us, they didn’t outsmart us,” James said. “I feel like we were just out-talented by OKC. They just possess so much more talent.”

That’s about as blunt as LeBron gets.

The Lakers entered the postseason feeling reasonably good about themselves after eliminating the Houston Rockets in the first round. But things changed quickly against the Thunder, especially with Luka Doncic sidelined throughout the playoffs because of a Grade 2 hamstring strain.

James acknowledged that reality, too.

“At the end of the day, we failed in talent,” he said. “OKC just possessed so much more talent than us. … Especially when you know you were undermanned.”

The comments were interesting mostly because LeBron didn’t make excuses. No complaints about officiating. No subtle shots at teammates. Just a pretty honest assessment that Oklahoma City had the deeper, more complete roster.

James also touched on his future, saying he still hasn’t decided whether he’ll return for a 24th NBA season.

“I’m still in the moment of just taking my time,” he said.

According to LeBron, family vacation plans currently rank ahead of free agency decisions. He added that he’ll likely get more serious about evaluating his future sometime later this summer.

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