LeBron James returned to the Los Angeles Lakers two games ago following a two-week absence, but the team hasn’t dominated as expected with their leader back. The Purple and Gold have dropped both of their contests since James’ return, falling to both the Chicago Bulls and Orlando Magic, who are both outside the Eastern Conference’s playoff field.
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Defense posed an issue in both games, as L.A. surrendered a ghastly 146 points to a hot-shooting Chicago squad before giving up 118 points to the offensively-challenged Magic. Considering the importance of every game for the Lakers at this point in the season, these aren’t matchups they can afford to lose.
With the team struggling on the defensive side of the ball, Skip Bayless recalled how JJ Redick lauded LeBron’s defense earlier in the season, even making the case that LBJ was playing “First Team All-Defense defense”. Considering how the Lakers have defended since his return, though, that appears to be a bit of an exaggeration.
“I love to watch this team play because I love to watch the combined genius of two of the greatest passers ever as passing partners, taking basketball to a level we’ve never seen two players, a dynamic duo, take it to on offense,” Bayless said. “But obviously if you combine that with LeBron playing ‘First-Team All-Defense defense’, you got something.”
Bayless exclaimed that if that were truly the case for the Lakers, they’d have a chance to take down the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are laying waste to the rest of the Western Conference. However, unlike the veteran-laden Lakers, the rising Thunder have refused to take their foot off the gas all season. He initially spoke about how he was left “shell-shocked” and “dumbfounded” by their performance against the Bulls, having thought ahead of the game that the Lakers were starting to look “legit on both ends of the court.”
Bayless felt LeBron and Luka Doncic had played “very well on offense” and had no issues with their performances. However, the collapse that the Lakers experienced in the third after holding a two-point lead at the half and looking set to record a “blowout” left Bayless exasperated because they “took foot off [the] gas”.
“Here came the Magic in the third quarter. The Magic outscored the Lakers 34 to 15,” Bayless continued. “That’s not championship stuff, that’s not championship mettle, that’s not championship caliber. That’s no threat to Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City never does that.”
Bayless believes L.A.’s performance over their last two contests is a bad sign for the closing weeks of the season. The 73-year-old questioned where LeBron’s tenacious defense has been since his return and recalled Redick’s bold sentiment once again.
“We’re almost to April. What happened to LeBron ‘The First-Team All-Defense’ playing anchor?” Bayless asked. “That’s what JJ said, ‘He’s the anchor of our defense.’ Well, this anchor went to the bottom of the lake in Orlando. DisneyWorld. My God!”
This just might be the damnedest development I have seen all season in the NBA pic.twitter.com/qe5YJpP0Lx
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) March 25, 2025
Now on a three-game skid, the Lakers possess just a two-game lead over the sixth-seeded Warriors, meaning the Play-In Tournament is a real possibility for L.A. if they can’t turn it around. Embarking on the road for their next three contests, Los Angeles will need to buckle down and find ways to win or possibly forfeit their postseason standing.
Bayless doesn’t appear to be confident that wins will happen in their next games against Indiana and Chicago back-to-back. That’s before heading to Memphis to play the Grizzlies, another team the sports media personality doesn’t think the Purple & Gold can beat. His former cohost on Undisputed, Shannon Sharpe, still believes “Lakers in 5” despite their troubles.
