LeBron James: Lakers 'Don't Have as Much Chemistry as a Lot of Other Teams'

It turns out that establishing continuity within a team can be difficult when the roster is overhauled every few months.

Following a 134-109 victory over the Houston Rockets on Sunday, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James reflected on how L.A. is still figuring things out as a squad.

"We just want to put ourselves in position to be able to compete for a championship," he told reporters. "It's a journey, and obviously, we don't have as much chemistry as a lot of other teams trying to compete for a championship or that have aspirations to win a championship, but I like what we've been building over the last month or so."

The series of trades general manager Rob Pelinka executed ahead of the February deadline were necessary to shake the Lakers out of their funk, but they presented some new challenges.

You can't add six new players midseason and expect a seamless transition. Losing James for a month of action didn't help everybody acclimated, either.

Pelinka's dealing has nonetheless served its purpose.

When the trade deadline passed on Feb. 9, the Lakers were 25-31 and sitting 13th in the Western Conference. Now, they're 40-38 and only a half-game behind the Golden State Warriors for the sixth seed.

Los Angeles certainly hasn't positioned itself as the championship favorite, and the lack of chemistry could become a larger problem in the postseason. Coaches have more time to scheme for their opponent's weaknesses in a seven-game playoff series.

But all in all, the Lakers' outlook has shifted dramatically from where it was earlier in the year.