“Effort and Defense”: Bobby Marks Highlights Two of the Key Issues Plaguing the Lakers

Following their 29-point loss to the Timberwolves, many expected the Lakers to put in the hard yards and bounce back against the Heat on Wednesday night. However, it was quite the opposite. Miami thrashed LA 134-93, handing LeBron James the second-biggest loss of his career. The Lakers’ injury issues and the poor shooting certainly played a role in the loss. However, Bobby Marks believes the roster is thoroughly lacking in two departments, which have nothing to do with the team composition.

On SportsCenter, the NBA insider lamented LA’s lethargic display and called the players for their lackadaisical attitude on the floor. He said,

“I think there’s two words… Effort and defense. The Lakers, especially coming off a 29-point defeat to Minnesota, you thought there’d be more effort. There certainly wasn’t… 33 of the Miami field goal attempts were wide open. The average length between [a Heat and] Lakers player was six feet. I don’t care if you are playing JV Basketball or you’re in the NBA. That’s unacceptable.” 

The Lakers’ horrendous effort on the defensive end against the Heat was best encapsulated by Tyler Herro’s three-pointer midway through the third quarter which extended the home team’s lead to 21.

Four of the five Miami players on the court had wide-open looks at the basket on the same possession. LA’s players stood and watched as the Heat’s stars toyed with them before Herro banked a three-pointer that he had nearly all night to measure before shooting.

Head coach JJ Redick, who helplessly watched his team get outscored 36-20 in the third quarter, did not mince words about his team’s performance.

Redick rips into Lakers stars

In the post-game press conference, the rookie head coach called out the players and questioned their commitment to the game. In an explosive rant, he said,

“There has to be some ownership… And it’s easy to not want the ownership, particularly when it’s embarrassing… We’re all embarrassed. It’s not a game that I thought we had the right fight, the right professionalism. Not sure what was lost in translation, but there has to be some ownership on the court. I’ll take all the ownership in the world… But I can’t physically get us organized… I can’t physically talk and call out reds and physically call our coverages. And by the way, I’m not blaming players… But gonna need some ownership on the court as well.”

 

Redick tried his best to keep his composure, but it’s understandable why he couldn’t. A 41-point blowout loss is a not regular occurrence in the NBA. It either needs an otherworldly display from one team or the other quitting. Unfortunately for the Lakers, it was the latter.