The Los Angeles Lakers have been up and down this season.
They’ve appeared robust towards subpar groups however not a lot towards championship contenders.
That’s by no means a very good signal for a staff attempting to compete at a excessive degree.
That was evident once more in a 29-point loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
When requested about that, LeBron James acknowledged that their offense has been in decline these days, arguing that they could have devoted a lot time to their protection that their offense took a again seat (through Spectrum SportsNet).
LeBron James: “We’re simply not good offensively proper now. I believe we spent a lot time on attempting to get our protection corrected that our offense simply took a toll and took a again seat to that.”
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— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) December 3, 2024
That makes some sense, however it’s not a coincidence that the most effective groups often rank excessive in each offense and protection.
James has additionally struggled offensively these days, which isn’t a standard sight.
He barely cracked ten factors vs. the Timberwolves, going 4-for-16 from the sphere to go together with eight rebounds and simply 4 assists.
He was contemporary off a 27-point efficiency vs. the Utah Jazz, however he had scored simply 12, 16, and 18 earlier than that.
In fact, some consider Father Time might have lastly caught as much as the four-time NBA champion, which might clearly make sense at this level in his profession.
All in all, James has nonetheless been top-of-the-line gamers this season, averaging 22 factors, eight rebounds, and 9 assists per sport for J.J. Redick’s staff.
The Lakers are actually 12-9 and No. 8 within the Western Convention, and this degree of play vs. playoff-caliber opponents raises severe doubts about their championship prospects.
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