CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers hosted the Washington Wizards in their home opener on Sunday.
But before Donovan Mitchell finished scoring 37 points to lead Cleveland to a 117-107 overtime victory, the Cavs' broadcast team turned its attention toward the franchise's former star, LeBron James.
Discussing the first week of the 2022-23 NBA season, former Cavs center-turned-color commentator Brad Daugherty noted that James' Lakers are off to an 0-3 start.
"I expected them to do well and they're not," said Daugherty.
"They look bad," added Austin Carr, another Cavs legend.
"They're horrible. They can't play dead in a western," Daugherty continued. "Poor LeBron's going to waste his 50th year in the league on that team? Oh my goodness. I bet it makes his feet hurt just thinking about the rest of the season."
For what it's worth, James is actually "only" in his 20th year in the NBA.
Still, Daugherty's point stands, as it appears the four-time MVP is spending what could very well be one of the final seasons of his career on what looks like a non-contender. While it's still very early in the 2022-23 campaign, the Lakers haven't shown any signs that they've improved dramatically from last season, when they missed the playoffs after tallying a 33-49 record.
Barring a drastic midseason roster change -- or Los Angeles figuring out Russell Westbrook's fit -- it doesn't seem likely that James will be winning his fifth career NBA title in 2023.
As for his former team, the Cavs are off to a 2-1 start, with Mitchell having scored at least 30 points in all three of his first three games since being traded to Cleveland. After beating the Wizards on Sunday, the Cavs will return to action on Wednesday when they host the Orlando Magic at 7 p.m.