The Los Angeles Lakers are a team that has been unable to gain any form of momentum during the season and win a string of games. They were expected to be championship hopefuls, but are currently stuck in a play-in spot. They have also lost 4 of their last 5 games.
There is no doubt that things are not well in Los Angeles. A report by a Lakers insider revealed that the atmosphere surrounding the team is generally negative, and it seems as though people are ready for the season to be over.
The vibes in and around the team, as you’d expect, aren’t great.
Multiple conversations with staff members and players have included the some version of the phrase, “at least there’s only a month left” — not exactly the kind of message you hear from a group with realistic visions of playing until early summer.
No, the Lakers at their core have to know that they’re not good enough. LeBron James, as important of a barometer as any, has said so. After losing to Milwaukee earlier this season, he was clear about the team not being on the Bucks’ level.
After being swept by the Clippers in their season series, James said their city rivals were a better team. After losing to the Rockets, he clearly stated that the Lakers don’t have any margin for error against Houston — a team that’s 32 games below .500 with their eyes on the NBA lottery.
Paul Pierce has recently taken shots at the Los Angeles Lakers, claiming that the “spirit of the Lakers” is “broken”, while adding that LeBron James has to score 50 for the team to have a chance.
The spirit of the Lakers is broken Lebron gotta score 50 fa them to have a chance
— Paul Pierce (@paulpierce34) March 15, 2022
The spirit of the Lakers is broken Lebron gotta score 50 fa them to have a chance
There is no doubt that Paul Pierce’s observation is somewhat accurate. The Los Angeles Lakers started the game fairly poorly against the Toronto Raptors, and the effort level simply wasn’t there defensively during the first half.
Hopefully, we see the Los Angeles Lakers figure things out in the future, and improve their performances. That future may not come this season, but if they get healthy, they could be a much better team next season.
