The game of basketball isn’t as simple as it looks. On the court, it takes someone with good knowledge of the game to make the best play and stay one step ahead of the opponent.
Off the court, it takes chemistry and cohesion from the team to ensure everyone is on the same page.
Amid a worldwide pandemic, several measures have been put in place to limit contact and keep players safe. According to Lakers star Kyle Kuzma, those measures have jeopardized his team’s ability to bond and, in turn, is hurting their title aspirations.
Here’s what he said, per Silver Screen and Roll.
“Obviously it still is a mental toll. Everybody is locked away in their rooms and it’s still a pandemic out here,” said Kuzma “That’s not an excuse to lose at all, but just every day, human life, yeah, for sure, it’s always going to be a mental toll.”
There’s not too much bonding,” Kuzma said. “Obviously the NBA has very, very strict regulations to keep everyone safe. Obviously, we have our little contact-tracing bells, and just being safe and being precautious. You don’t want to be around too many people. You see a team like Washington have to postpone games, six, seven, eight people in the organization (getting infected), that would hurt you. Especially if you have championship aspirations.
This season is much different because every game kind of matters when you’re talking about seeding,” Kuzma continued. “Having an outbreak, especially in the West, could be the difference between finishing 2 and 6. And hopefully we don’t get to that point, but we kind of just are professional about it and stay safe and keep it simple.”
People have been doubting the authenticity of the 2020 title. Some say, in light of the circumstances, the “bubble” Championship will always have an asterisk because the path was easier than other titles.
But perhaps it’s the opposite that’s true. Gilbert Arenas certainly seems to think so. COVID-19 is forcing every team into a difficult situation, and team chemistry is just one area that is being impacted negatively.
The big question now is, how will the Lakers get through it? We saw what they were able to do last season, but it’s too early to say if that will happen again, especially with the rising level of competition.
Needless to say, we’ll find out soon enough.
