Following the Los Angeles Lakers' 121-128 loss to the Golden State Warriors on 16 March, Paul Pierce advised LeBron James to allow his teammates to shine. During an episode of 'UNDISPUTED', Pierce mentioned, "Yes, LeBron has been putting up great numbers, but he needs to take a step back." The main criticism was that the Lakers were relying too heavily on LeBron and needed other players to step up. However, Pierce recently changed his stance and praised the Lakers for their performance. After their 125-120 victory over the Washington Wizards, Pierce declared that apart from the Denver Nuggets, the Lakers were the team to beat in the West.

He commended Anthony Davis for his contribution to the team, noting his impressive stats in the win against the Wizards. The Lakers have shown substantial improvement since the All-Star break, winning 14 out of their 21 games. Despite their progress, the Lakers are currently ranked ninth in the competitive Western Conference. The team's recent success has been against struggling opponents, which may make it premature to label them as title contenders.