Lakers: LeBron James Calls This the Toughest Season of His NBA Career

We would have to agree with you there LeBron.

The NBA season has yet to play out the way that the Lakers had hoped. That actually is sort of an incredible understatement. With a record of 11-11 through their first 22 games, Los Angeles has yet to reach their full potential with the roster that Rob Pelinka has assembled. 

Health has been an obvious issue early on in the year. The fact that the Lakers haven't even seen Kendrick Nunn and Trevor Ariza yet should mean something. But there is a little more to it than fielding guys that are ready to go. 

Poor performances from a few key guys have made the start of the season a little difficult. So much so that LeBron James called this the most challenging season of his entire NBA career. That came after the Lakers bear the Pistons on Sunday night in Los Angeles. 

[This season] ranks right at the top of any other challenge I've had in my career, which actually brings out the best in me and I love that. I love trying to figure out how we can be better, get through the mud, get through the adversity, and just making it sweeter on the back end. I feel like we haven't even scratched the surface on what team we can be. We're gonna continue to get better and better as we continue to learn each other more and more, continuing to work into our system offensively and defensively.

That's a pretty bold statement for a guy like LeBron, who has had to carry his fair share of teams to success over his career. But the season is still young, and there is time for the Lakers to get things figured out. 

But the clock is ticking. This upcoming week should present a really good opportunity for the Lakers to go on a little bit of a run. Time to lock in.