The Los Angeles Lakers looked like their 2021 version tonight, getting blown out by the Rockets in a 94-128 loss. The Lakers didn’t even play their rotational players in the fourth because the game was so out of hand.
LeBron James was playing but was furious at the performance, reportedly getting upset at media questions and lamenting the lack of good health for the Lakers right now.
“We can’t build cohesion if we don’t have our unit. We’re depleted on the injury side. I thought offensively, we did a good job of sharing the ball early on and getting a rhythm offensively. But they were just shooting the ball really well.”
"We can't build cohesion if we don't have our unit… We're very depleted on the injury side." LeBron James speaks on the #Lakers early struggles. pic.twitter.com/QAK1QthETo
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) November 9, 2023
Darvin Ham hasn’t been able to adjust his coaching to compete in games where the Lakers are having poor starts. They’ve been one of the worst first-half teams in the NBA that year and are yet to win a road game. Ham commented on his team’s poor start this season and in this game.
“No one comes in wanting to be flat or a step slow. Our guys came in to compete… A couple of missed cues, and weren’t good on the ball defensively. Our off-ball defense needed to be better. But at the end of the day, it’s tough. We’re juggling different circumstances, guys being in and out of the lineup. At the end of the day, no one is going to feel sorry for you when you’re a Los Angeles Laker. Our biggest thing is to go to Phoenix on Friday and be the hardest working and most competitive team on the floor for 48 minutes.”
“At the end of the day, you know no one’s gonna feel sorry for you, especially when you’re a Los Angeles Laker.” Darvin Ham speaks on starting 0-5 on the road this season. pic.twitter.com/NBNz29oees
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) November 9, 2023
The Lakers have to be worried about their start but we know they won’t overreact to it. This is the same team that started last season 2-10 and managed to go to the Western Conference Finals.
Whether a magic trade or a change in play style exists this season to help them change their fortunes is something we’ll find out with time. For now, the Lakers need to find ways to keep pace with the extremely competitive Western Conference.
The Lakers Need To Get Healthy
An annual occurrence with the Lakers is that their team struggles with injuries more than others. That’s due to their star duo comprising a center who misses 20 games every year due to injuries and an almost 39-year-old who is playing in his 21st NBA season.
Right now, the Lakers are without Anthony Davis, Jaxson Hayes, and Gabe Vincent, with Rui Hachimura just making a return from injury in the loss against the Rockets. The team hasn’t had a chance to build the chemistry they need after a summer of changes, but the problems go deeper than that. The roster simply hasn’t meshed as well as the Lakers initially thought it would.
Vincent has been bad when available while Jaxson Hayes is a very utility-based player who won’t impact the game in a major way outside of rim-running and potentially blocking shots. Cam Reddish is proving why he hasn’t been able to find a home in the NBA while Austin Reaves has seemingly regressed and looks far away from being the Lakers’ third option.
Christian Wood and Taurean Prince have shown flashes of fitting in well, but a lot more chemistry needs to be developed between all these players. It’ll be fascinating to see if the Lakers can save another season after this poor start.
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