It’s no secret that the Los Angeles Lakers are underachieving this season.
While Los Angeles is 20-10 and has plenty of impressive wins on their resume, it hasn’t been as sharp as it could be through the first 30 games of the year.
On Sunday, Lake Show Life’s Mikail Nakhuda offered an intriguing theory on the real reason the Lakers haven’t performed up to their standards.
“LeBron James is hurting the Los Angeles Lakers right now, and it has nothing to do with his legacy or his box-score production,” Nakhuda stated. “The problem is effort, specifically on defense and on the glass, and it is becoming impossible to ignore.”
“When LeBron is not dominating offensively, the expectation is that he impacts the game in other ways. Right now, that is not happening consistently.”
“Until LeBron re-engages in the unglamorous parts of the game, the Lakers will continue to struggle with issues that have nothing to do with talent and everything to do with willingness. If he does not step up quickly, LeBron could actually be on his way out of Los Angeles.”
Considering James turned 41 on Tuesday, it isn’t surprising that the four-time NBA champion forward isn’t putting his best foot forward defensively.
Most likely, James believes that at his age, he must conserve as much energy as possible to remain an elite offensive weapon for JJ Redick and the Lakers.
The problem with that approach is that the Lakers will suffer mightily on defense moving forward if no change is made, which will force the franchise’s offense to be nearly perfect to have any chance of succeeding.
Los Angeles ranks 17th in scoring defense, 27th in field goal % defense (48.6%), and three-point defense (38.1%).
If one thing’s certain, James isn’t holding his weight on the defensive end this season.
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