With just a few meaningless games left for the Lakers this season, it’s fair to say this season is over for the 17x Champs.
After entering with high aspirations, they are set to finish 11th in the West and at least 15 games under .500.
These past few days have brought a storm of heat and criticism for the Lakers, and it will likely continue well into the summer. On ‘Jalen & Jacoby’ on Wednesday, ESPN’s Jalen Rose became the latest to call out the Purple and Gold, crediting the 2021-22 run as the most disappointing in the franchise’s history.
“All of those years I’ve watched Lakers basketball, I’ve never seen them have All-NBA caliber performers like LeBron and AD on the roster, future Hall of Famers like Russ and Carmelo, and Dwight, and they can’t qualify for the play-in. This is the most disappointing season I recall in the history of the Los Angeles Lakers. Let me give it some context.
It’s not like they were not one of the favorites to start the year. Them and the Nets were the two favorites to make it to the NBA Finals. to start the season. People like myself when I saw them assemble, even with Russ, they’ll figure it out. Russ will stagger his minutes. He’ll be a triple-double when LeBron misses 25 games. He’ll hold it down when AD misses 20 games.”
Nobody imagined the Lakers being this bad. Just a year ago, if you had asked anyone how a team with LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook would hold up, they’d probably say positive things.
Unfortunately, none of it materialized on the basketball court, and the Lakers found themselves fighting to stay alive from the very start.
According to those inside the organization, injuries, Russell Westbrook, and LeBron James as most to blame. To others, the culprit is Frank Vogel or even Rob Pelinka. Most likely, it’s a mix of everything.
Regardless, the Lakers have to look for ways to improve their situation, or they might land in a very similar scenario next season.
