Lakers: Byron Scott’s Refusal to Accept Blame Costing Him Respect

Lakers head coach Byron Scott is losing his team because of his lack of taking responsibility

Byron Scott has continued to place blame anywhere but on himself, but now his habit is starting to have major consequences for the Los Angeles Lakers organization. After a blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Scott immediately singled out his young players as a reason for the defeat. Rather than discussing the technical details of why the Lakers have been incapable of competing on either side of the floor this season, Scott blamed the loss on what he called the “scared” play of the young players on the team.

Byron Scott didn’t stop there, however, continuing to call their efforts “pathetic” and “intimidated.” This time, the players stood up to Scott in the media, refusing to be bullied by a man who has proved time and again this season to be perhaps the most incompetent member of the entire organization. Jordan Clarkson, who was the Lakers best player on the night, protested the accusation that the team had played scared, instead blaming a lack of energy and execution for the loss.

While players can deserve criticism at times, Scott seemingly does so at random, even when his players have solid performances. Clarkson, for instance, made seven of his 15 shots while competing on both ends of the floor. Although he did not have a dominant performance, he definitely did not deserve the shots that Scott took at him and his teammates after the game.

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While Julius Randle’s comments were similar to Clarkson’s, the Lakers most recent lottery pick went even further in his interview. Instead of accepting his coach’s criticism, D’Angelo Russell actually placed the blame on the system his coach has put in place. Stating that playing within the system made sustaining runs more difficult; the talented young point guard showed the courage to say what almost every fan has been thinking for this entire season.

As Byron Scott has continually blamed his players, particularly the youth on the team, for losses and poor performances, his system has been shockingly poor for his entire tenure in Los Angeles. Insisting on running an antiquated offensive system, Scott has done an extremely poor job at putting his players into position to succeed this season.

Russell’s comments clearly show that the players have a similar view of the offense, with Russell particularly feeling that the offense hinders his rhythm. This makes sense, as the offense relies heavily on isolation, which can throw other players off—particularly jump shooters. The fact that Russell was willing to point out the flawed offense in the media could be an important turning point for a team that has already had their share of tension.

Up until now, most of the young players have respectfully accepted Scott’s harsh critiques of their performances, but this seemed to change after the game against Oklahoma City. If the locker room begins to turn against Byron Scott, it could have a huge impact on this year’s Lakers team and also the franchise in the future. Players like Russell, Randle, and Clarkson are supposed to be long-term pieces for the Lakers and creating a rift between them and the team is a very poor strategy for the organization.

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As such, if the rift continues to deepen, the front office would be forced to side with their talented young players or risk losing the pieces they have worked so hard to collect. Because of this, it would seemingly be in Scott’s best interest to focus on supporting and developing his young players, rather than using them as scapegoats for his own poor coaching. If Scott does not decide to change his approach, it could not only cost him his players’ respect, it could cost him his job.