Los Angeles Lakers: Kobe Bryant defends Luke Walton

With the Los Angeles Lakers falling on hard times without LeBron James, Kobe Bryant recently defended Luke Walton on Twitter.

Since the injury to LeBron James, the Los Angeles Lakers have fallen down in the Western Conference standings. With a 1-5 record without James, it has not been pretty for the Lakers of late.

While they were playing competitive basketball the first few games without James, they haven’t looked good at all since Kuzma was injured as well. The past few games, the Lakers have been without James, Kuzma, and Rajon Rondo.

All three of those players are key players for the Lakers, and scoring has been a real chore without them. As expected without three key guys, the Lakers aren’t winning games and they aren’t playing well.

Due to somewhat high expectations for this season, some all calling for the firing of Luke Walton with the struggles. Recently, Kobe Bryant defended Walton on Twitter in an interaction with a fan.

Bryant is certainly right on the money with his response. Sure, the loss to a team like the New York Knicks at home certainly is not a good look. However, the Lakers are down three of their best players, and clearly don’t have the offensive firepower necessary to compete right now.

Prior to the injuries, the Lakers were a top-half of the team in the Western Conference, and they did beat the Golden State Warriors in a big matchup on Christmas Day. While it is very understandable to be frustrated with the losses, it is hard to blame a coach when three top players, including your best player are out.

If the Lakers were healthy and struggling, this would be a much different conversation. However, when healthy, the Lakers have played well this season. While there might not be a ton of Walton defenders right now, Bryant appears to be one of them. Hopefully, the Lakers can get healthy soon and the wins should once again follow.