Realistically, nobody predicted that the Lakers would be a championship contender this year. They didn’t have the best offseason and their 2 best players, LeBron James and Anthony Davis, are getting up there in age. But damn, nobody could’ve predicted that they were going to be this bad. What went wrong with them to start so terribly?
Who’s to Blame?
When a team is failing, it usually isn’t just one person to blame. Instead, it is more like a build-up of mistakes, which sums up the Laker’s troubles. Where do I even start? For starters, I don’t blame LeBron. He has done everything that has been asked of him. Since it’s obvious that a championship is out of reach, his only concern this season should be passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and becoming the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. If I was part of the Laker’s ownership, I’d be trying to guestimate what game he’s going to break it. Because whenever he does, it will be must-see TV.
For Anthony Davis, on the other hand, I can’t say the same for him. In typical fashion, he started this season off pretty damn well. But as more games took place, AD showed his true colors. For him to only be 29 years old, he does not play like it. It feels like there are 30-year-olds that are more athletic than him. This is why he continues to settle with jump shots instead of attacking. Hopefully, his play is a result of a nagging injury, because it makes no sense.
I think we can all agree that the supporting cast deserves most of the blame. No one expects a role player to magically turn into a star. But we do expect them to do the little things such as hit open shots, something Laker’s players seem to struggle with. When you have a facilitator like LeBron, at the bare minimum, you need them to hit key shots when the opportunity arises. None of the role players are living up to their potential.
Russell West-brick
Speaking of potential, don’t even get me started on Russell Westbrook. Russ deserves his own paragraph for the way he’s been playing. In some games, he will look like a quality player. But in other instances, he will have you asking yourself how he is still in the league. We all know that Russ’s aggressive play style doesn’t fit their offensive play style. But it feels like he doesn’t even try to make it work sometimes. This can’t be the same Russell Westbrook that won MVP, he doesn’t even play remotely similar.
You can’t win a championship based on your first month’s performance. But you sure can ruin your chances, with a terrible start as the Lakers have done so far. What are your thoughts? Is it too late for them to turn it around? Let us know below.
