When the Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated from playoff contention almost a month ago, I wasn’t looking forward to the NBA playoffs. The reason I wasn’t excited for this year’s postseason is that my favorite player, LeBron James, wasn’t playing. I believed that the NBA would suffer from his absence. LeBron is the biggest star in basketball, and without his fantastic postseason play, the NBA ratings would drop.
But, now that the playoffs have been on for a week, I believe that the NBA can actually benefit in certain ways without LeBron on the court. I understand that the NBA’s playoff ratings have started off rough. As of now, they’re down about 26% from last year. A large part of the drop is due to LeBron not playing. However, in my opinion, LeBron not suiting up in the spring can produce some positives for the league.
The Shift In Spotlight
Everyone knows that LeBron hogs at least half of NBA media. He attracts a lot of the attention as the biggest star in the game. Fortunately, since he’s not in the race for the NBA title this year, there’ll be a lot more media coverage to be distributed to the other competing organizations.
The shift in the spotlight is a good thing for the league. More attention can be shined over the less talked about teams such as the Brooklyn Nets and the Los Angeles Clippers. Also, underappreciated players such as Lou Williams and D’Angelo Russell will be given a bigger platform to show off their game.
Now that the Lakers’ season is over, the other team in Los Angeles has been given more attention. It’s hard in the NBA to attract attention if you don’t have a prominent star. The Clippers don’t, but their tough and inspiring style of play has stolen some spotlight that was once dominated by James.
When the Clippers came back from 31 down against the over-powered Golden State Warriors, the media made the Clippers’ comeback performance one of their top stories of the week. The increasing coverage has benefited the NBA, as more coverage on the smaller teams can make the league feel less top-heavy. This can also bring more traction to the Clippers since they don’t have a star player to attract all the fans.
Effect On Next Year’s Postseason
We all know how great LeBron plays in the postseason. He’s must-see TV. His game elevates to the degree that many consider “G.O.A.T.” status. Last postseason, Bron played like an all-time great. He averaged 34 points, nine assists, and nine rebounds on 54% shooting from the field. His dominance carried the fourth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA Finals where he’d drop 51 points in Game 1 against the Warriors.
Now, imagine how great LeBron will play next season. I think that LeBron not making this postseason will have a positive effect next year. In my opinion, LeBron is going to use this season’s failure as motivation to take the Lakers to heights they haven’t reached in a long time. Add that to the facts that LeBron has had the most time away from basketball in his career this year and that the Lakers have enough cap space to pair at least one star player with James this offseason, the Lakers will be a spectacle to watch next postseason.
Final Thoughts
I’m not saying that the NBA is better off without LeBron playing right now. It’s obvious that the NBA is always better with LeBron on the court. All you have to do is take a look at the ratings. However, I believe that there are a few ways the NBA can benefit without the king off the court.
Disagree with my take? Feel free to hit me up on my Twitter @stevenpepper38, my Instagram @stevenpepper_, and/or the comments below.