JaVale McGee on Lakers' Title Hopes: 'The Only Thing That Can Stop Us Is Us'

Los Angeles Lakers center JaVale McGee believes his team controls its own destiny this season. 

"The only thing that can stop us is us," McGee said in an interview with Complex's Zion Olojede. "We just have to make sure we stay focused through the season. This is the season to do it."

McGee went on to say Los Angeles is good enough to reach the NBA Finals as long as it avoids the two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors in the playoffs.

Technically, the Lakers are likely to be the authors of their own demise—just not in the way McGee is talking about.

Los Angeles is probably going to stop itself because it doesn't have all the pieces to contend for a championship in 2018-19. As much fun as the Lakers have been to watch to open the year, they're 14th in net rating (0.1) and 22nd in defensive rating (112.8), per NBA.com.

LeBron James can almost single-handedly carry a team to the Finals in the Eastern Conference; that isn't going to happen in the Western Conference.

In his interview with Olojede, McGee displayed a sense of urgency, saying "this is the season to [win a championship]."

The 30-year-old was likely referring more to himself and the other veterans on one-year contracts rather than the Lakers as a whole. General manager Rob Pelinka signed McGee, Rajon Rondo, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Lance Stephenson and Michael Beasley to one-year deals in order to give the team as much flexibility as possible next summer when pursuing marquee free agents.

McGee is playing well in 2018-19, averaging 15.8 points and 6.7 rebounds, but this may be his only season playing alongside James in Los Angeles.

There may come a time when McGee's assessment is true of the Lakers and they're one of the NBA's best teams. For now, finishing in the top four of the West should be considered a major success.