The King is considered the tone-setter as we approach the tail end of the regular season.

The Los Angeles Lakers have 13 regular-season games left in the 2023-2024 season. This season has been far from ideal, as many did not see it going the way it has.

LA was primed to be among the top teams in the league and certainly in the Western Conference. However, this outcome occurs when you combine health or lack thereof, weird rotations, and decision-making.

Nonetheless, the Lakers are still in the hub for a play-in spot and will likely be in a single elimination game if all goes well from now until mid-April. The purple and gold can’t afford to drop any more games, and the team realizes that so much so that Laker head coach Darivn Ham is looking toward superstar LeBron James to set the tone as the regular season winds down.

Ham spoke to the media, including Lakers insider Jovan Buha from The Athletic. The second-year Lakers head coach called this stretch for the Lakers ‘money time.’

“Just setting a tone, trying to set a tone,” head coach Darvin Ham said of James. “It’s money time right now. We have no time to waste. It starts with our two captains.”

—Darvin Ham, via The Athletic

It will take a miracle for Los Angeles to land in the top six of the conference, as they are three games back. The time is ticking, and once again, James and the Lakers will need to win a play-in game to guarantee themselves in the postseason. However, they will likely need to win two games to grab a spot.

It’s not a situation they want to be in, but they should be used to this. The Lakers have been in the play-in in three of the last four years. Luckily, they have been able to win the first game and guarantee themselves a spot, but this season may be a bit different and not for the better.

James knows the stakes at hand and will do everything in his power to ensure LA will be a top-eight seed when all is said and done.