The most important player on each and every NBA team this season

By Ti Windisch | Aug 28, 2018

CLEVELAND, OH - JUNE 08: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers defended by Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors during Game Four of the 2018 NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena on June 8, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

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CLEVELAND, OH – JUNE 08: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers reacts against the Golden State Warriors during Game Four of the 2018 NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena on June 8, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

Los Angeles Lakers — LeBron James

LeBron James has been the most important player on every single team he has played on since the 2003-04 NBA season when he was a rookie. That has not changed even though his team has this summer.

Theoretically, the King should start to decline at some point. The rest of the NBA will probably not believe that until they start to see it. LeBron was arguably better than ever last season, and it’s so impressive how he continues to add new elements to his game as he ages.

His impact on the court will be massive. The Lakers would not be projected as a playoff team if LeBron didn’t decide to take his talents to Los Angeles, and now some projections even have the Lake Show as a top seed.

As much as LeBron changes the Lakers’ actual basketball competency, he might be even more important for what he’s doing to the image of the franchise. Los Angeles had struck out on essentially every major free agent it had chased for multiple years. Getting LeBron is a major coup, and a huge feather in Magic Johnson’s cap.

From here, the Lakers can continue to add stars and form a true contender. All of that is possible because of LeBron James. Even if he is only there to boost his brand and executive produce a ton of shows, LeBron has left a huge impact on the NBA’s most famous franchise. Just King things.

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