“All of a Sudden LeBron James Goes for 40”: Despite the Lakers’ Ongoing Struggles, Skip Bayless Still Remains Hopeful in Anthony Davis and Co.

During a recent segment of Undisputed, Skip Bayless went into detail about the kind of struggles the LA Lakers have been facing since winning the In-Season tournament. LeBron James and Co. have gone 3-8 since winning the first iteration of the cup competition and have struggled to stay afloat in the West. Bayless however, still appeared hopeful in his lengthy assessment of where the Lakers currently stand.

Bringing up the examples of their victories over the Indiana Pacers and the OKC Thunder in recent weeks, he claimed that those dubs weren’t a coincidence. The FS1 host highlighted that their best performances came against two of the most impressive teams in the league thus far. Speaking in particular about LeBron James’ performances, especially his 40-point performance against OKC, Bayless concluded that the Lakers only needed to flip another switch, suggesting that they can still emerge as title contenders this season.

Bayless started off by talking about the injury issues the Lakers have suffered in recent weeks, including knocks to the likes of Gabe Vincent, Rui Hachimura, and Cam Reddish. He then claimed that despite their injury issues, the Lakers have proven that they can deliver when they care.

“There are two lights at the end of the tunnel…We saw the In-Season Tournament, they’re gangbusters, man, on defense against Indiana that night, they destroyed them defensively that night coz they cared, they showed up. The intensity, the urgency that we haven’t seen since then was on full display in the quote-unquote Championship game against Indiana,” Bayless said, stressing the Pacers’ impressive season so far. 

Bayless then talked about the Lakers’ December 23 victory over the OKC Thunder, who are currently 2nd in the West. Considering how the Thunder have only recently defeated the likes of the Timberwolves and the Denver Nuggets, he claimed that the game against the Lakers also told a potent story.

“The Lakers had lost 4 straight coming into this game but all of a sudden LeBron goes for 40. Why did he go for 40? He made all five of his 3-point shots? How many nights are you going to get 5 out of 5 from LeBron from three? Not many. Anthony was 26 and 11, with 7 assists,” Bayless added.

The veteran reporter noted that the Lakers are a different animal if their stars get going. If they play the right way, the Lakers are pretty much unstoppable. However, playing the right way has been the issue with the Lakers.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis’ usage rates recently shocked fans. LeBron is 18th in the league in usage while AD is 36th at 27.1%. The LakeShow could turn it around this season if they involve their superstars more in the game. Bayless said something similar.

“I am not going to give up on this team. I am not going to write them off. They have to flip another switch,” Bayless concluded. While there is little doubt that the team has a range of struggles to overcome, Bayless has seen enough to still continue to have hope.

Skip Bayless recently provided a backhanded compliment to the LA Lakers 

The analysis from Bayless comes just days after he complimented the team following their victory over the Charlotte Hornets. While James had 17 points and 11 assists, Bayless was quick to point out that the win came against a struggling team.

“LeBron and the Lakers looked pretty good tonight … at home … against 7-22 Charlotte,” he posted on X, before claiming on Undisputed that LeBron should not have played extra minutes once his team was effectively guaranteed a win.

James ended with 25 minutes on the night, as AD starred with 26 points and 8 rebounds on the night. While Bayless is a regular detractor of James, he still believes that the Lakers have it in them to emerge as genuine contenders this season.