425 days ago, the Los Angeles Lakers were celebrating in the NBA Bubble after winning their 17th championship in franchise history. For LeBron James, this was his fourth championship and his first with fellow All-Star Anthony Davis.
425 days later, the only confetti falling from the rafters is for the Lakers’ opponents after picking up a win against this dysfunctional Lakers’ group. Now 13-13 on the season after falling victim to the Memphis Grizzlies, who were without Dillon Brooks and potential All-Star Ja Morant, the question is not whether or not this team can make the playoffs, but if they have what it takes to win another title.
Coming into the season, there was a lot of hype surrounding LeBron James and Co. once again, just like there is every single season due to LeBron’s ability to lead his teams to success, but this year was different because of all the stars this team added.
Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Rajon Rondo, DeAndre Jordan and so many other prolific talents teamed up to form what looked to be the “team to beat” in the Western Conference, but egos, lack of chemistry and durability has ruined this team’s chances for early season success.
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“Our biggest battle, our biggest problem this year is consistency,” head coach Frank Vogel said after the Lakers’ 108-95 loss in Memphis on Thursday night. “Once we take one step forward we fall back, we have a disappointing performance. We have to find a way to catch ourselves from that.”
Other than LeBron James, nobody has been a consistent force for this team and everyone is left wondering what has happened to Anthony Davis?
The 8x All-Star is one of the best all-around talents in the entire league and was recently named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team this year, recognizing him as one of the Top-75 players in NBA history, but Davis has struggled time-and-time again at critical points in games this season.
Whether it is turning the ball over by getting it slapped out of his hands in the paint or just simply not using his size to his advantage and settling for a 17-foot jumper against someone much smaller and weaker than him, something just does not look right with Davis’ confidence compared to past years.
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While his numbers say he is having a great season, currently averaging 24.0 points, 10.2 rebounds and shooting 52.3% from the floor, Anthony Davis has not looked like one of the best players in the league and his struggles to close out games is directly affecting his team.
However, he is not solely to blame for the Lakers’ misfortunes this year and this all goes right back to this team’s consistency problem and the fact that they have no chemistry with one another.
When LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook mysteriously met over the summer ahead of the blockbuster trade with the Wizards that sent Westbrook to Los Angeles, all three All-Stars agreed to “put their egos aside” and to do whatever it takes to win a championship, but they have done the complete opposite to this point in the season.
While unselfish on the court, all three of them look out of sync with one another and teams have been running laps on the Lakers defensively. This organization’s identity under Frank Vogel the last few seasons has been on the defensive side of the court, yet the Lakers are giving up 112.8 points per game to their opponents, the third-worst mark in the NBA.
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Turning the ball over also has not helped Frank Vogel’s group.
Over the last few seasons, turnovers have always been a problem for the Los Angeles Lakers, but they have always been able to mask their inefficiencies on offense because of how good their defense was.
Now averaging 16.1 turnovers per game, the third-most in the NBA this season, and not having a reliable and solid defense to lean on, the Lakers’ turnovers are beginning to catch up to them. Teams are averaging 17.3 points off of turnovers this season against the Lakers, the ninth-most in the league, which has directly contributed to their slow start this season.
So once again we ask the question: “Do the Lakers have what it takes to win a championship?”
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They certainly have the talent to do so, but as we have seen in the league over the years, the best teams with the best players do not always win a championship. With the NBA having the most balance across all 30 teams that we have seen in recent memory, there is very little room for error, especially if you are trying to win a championship.
You cannot control things like injuries and in today’s day and age, health protocols, but the things the Lakers can control are currently out of control!
Turnovers, personal fouls, being out-hustled down the floor, missing wide–open shots on offense…
These are just some of the Los Angeles Lakers’ problems right now and with the way they have constantly played down to their opponents’ level, it is really hard to say that this team is a legit contender in the Western Conference right now.
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LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook are some of the best players of this generation in the NBA, so of course the Lakers can turn things around this season and finish with one of the better records in the NBA, but the Lakers just simply do not have the right supporting cast around their stars to be successful.
Having very limited shooters and a bunch of veterans with plenty of mileage on their legs, Frank Vogel and his coaching staff are going to have to scramble for answers over the course of the next several weeks because if they do not fix the problems this team currently has, then they will be the ones to blame.
There have been some rumblings that Frank Vogel is on the “hot seat” in Los Angeles amidst their slow start, but Lakers governor Jeanie Buss does not appear to be in any hurry to make a drastic coaching change.
“We’re as connected as any organization can be,” she said on Tuesday night during the Lakers’ win over the Boston Celtics. “I really don’t know what you’re looking for me to say. I would say until we’re 100 percent healthy, I won’t make any judgments about anything.”
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The next month is going to be extremely important for the Los Angeles Lakers to kick things into high gear because if they do not and continue at the pace they are on right now, this team will not be in the same conversation as teams like the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns at the top of the Western Conference standings.
Instead, they will be talked about with the likes of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets, three teams battling for positioning in the play-in tournament.
The “LakeShow” is not a show that you want to buy tickets to see right now and until we see improvements defensively and see this group come together to be a team instead of a bunch of guys playing basketball, it is hard to say that the Los Angeles Lakers are competing for another title this season.
