The Los Angeles Lakers played out their 21st loss of the season, but LeBron James still managed to score 27. Playing against his former team, the Miami Heat, LeBron tried to pull a sorry Lakers team to the finish line but couldn’t. Austin Reaves and Lonnie Walker were players who could not score any points.
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Surprising, because they’ve been consistent scorers. The duo averages 26 points between them, which was dearly missed in the loss. Those two 0s played a major role in losing 112-98. Miami was at its usual best, causing all sorts of troubles for the Lakers’ porous defense.
For all the hype that surrounded Patrick Beverley and his “defensive intensity,” the Lakers have had a torrid time guarding their rim. With efforts like this, there is no way they can even eek into the playoffs, much less win a championship. And winning championships is all that LeBron wants.
Bron stated his intention to play in a post-game press conference and that he “is a winner”. He stated that he did not want to play for the sake of playing; he wants to compete at the highest level. Someone of LeBron James’ stature should have a championship team. The Lakers are not.
LeBron James is playing like he’s still 30 years old – Rob Pelinka is wasting his time in the league
Putting aside what Skip Bayless said about LeBron living on borrowed time, Rob Pelinka did poorly to maintain the Lakers’ success. The 2020 squad was a perfect recipe for success, but he got greedy and flew too close to the sun. And that destroyed the Lakers’ chance at any silverware.
LeBron Raymone James Sr., who will turn 38 in a few days, is unlike anyone we’ve ever seen. At that age, Kobe Bryant was hobbling on the court, Dirk was on his last (fadeaway) legs, Vince Carter lost a few inches of his jump, and Paul Pierce had retired.
To be leading his team in scoring while maintaining his efficacy at such a high rate at this age is unheard of. 20 seasons into the league, and all he needs to win the MVP is for the Lakers to go to the playoffs. That’s how good he has been.
He knows that too, but if the Lakers do not show signs of trusting him, there might be a change in the color of the uniform he wears pretty soon.
What should the Lakers do next?
one, against the Atlanta Hawks. Trae Young and co. have their struggles to deal with, but they’re not as bad as the Lakers. Teetering around the play-in area, all they need to do is switch places with the Indiana Pacers, and they’re golden.
The Lakers are looking for a purple patch similar to their 8-2 run last month. But with their MVP out for at least a couple more weeks, there is no telling what will happen next. One thing is for sure: the Lakers need someone to score more consistently.
It’s an all-around player that the Lakers are lacking; they seem to be doing only one thing at a time right. In their anemic start, they were solid defensively, but poor offensively. Now they seem to have found their offensive boots, but they are super brittle during defense.
Darwin Ham has a monster he needs to tame, or else he is going to go the way of Frank Vogel and the Dodo Bird.
