Los Angeles Lakers: Team chemistry and spirit is nowhere to be found

While there is time left to make a playoff push, the Los Angeles Lakers do not look like a cohesive unit right now.

Mathematically speaking, there is still a sliver of hope that the Los Angeles Lakers can make the playoffs. The Lakers sit three games behind the San Antonio Spurs for the Western Conference’s final playoff seed.

However, while it does not look impossible on paper, it is going to take a gargantuan turnaround for the Lakers to reach the postseason. I do not think the term “gargantuan” is a glaring overstatement.

Simply put, there is little to no chemistry within the Lakers’ locker room right now. The Lakers are just a mess and the same could be argued even if the team would have beaten the New Orleans Pelicans or Memphis Grizzlies.

It is safe to say that the present roster lacks the urgent mindset that is needed to get back into the playoff picture. Games like the one against New Orleans were all too winnable, and the Lakers cannot afford to take opponents lightly.

Yet the New Orleans game is a small sample size when it comes to winnable games. In this calendar year alone, L.A. has lost some pretty pathetic games. Some of their other losses have come at the hands of the Hawks, Cavaliers, and Knicks.

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Certainly, it proves that teams like that may not be superb, they are still a group of professionals. It reveals that any team can beat any team.

Moreover, this exposes one of the Lakers’ bigger problem areas. At this juncture, the Lakers are a group whose level of play predicates itself on the opponent. That is not a sign of a good team.

One issue, right now, very well could be the sheer disappointment. The team may have never pictured themselves in this position, which has been causing their sporadic, inconsistent play of late. It is hard to deny because, at times, L.A.’s focus is nowhere to be found.

Head coach Luke Walton recognizes this and took the time recently to discuss the squad’s mood. Suffice to say, per Christian Rivas of SB Nation, the Lakers are feeling “frustrated” at the moment.

"“We’re all frustrated. We wanted to win this game [against New Orleans]. We know how important it is for us, but that’s why we try to preach all the time (that) it’s not important to put our goals 23 games from now, because the way you win each and every game is to focus on what we’re doing tonight.”"

To me, what Walton puts forth here indicates the following. The Lakers are in a mode of overthinking. It is as if they are trying to make up three games in one night.

In a sense, forward thinking is commendable (I mean, who doesn’t want to be in the playoffs?). Yet the fact they are having to do this, to begin with, says enough about their situation.

It basically means now we’re going to try to play catch up before it is too late. Generally speaking, that is never a good rule of thumb in sports.

When a team has to play that way, it tends to lead to more mistakes. As Rivas pointed out, the Lakers committed 23 turnovers on Saturday. 23.

Injuries set aside, it is reasonable to contend L.A. should have a playoff seed. They really could if they were playing to their potential.

Now, obviously, that factor cannot be entirely thrown down the drain. I mean, if LeBron James never got hurt, the Lakers would likely be no less than a No. 5 or 6 seed right now.

Of course, it is rather easy to casually toss around the “what ifs.” The worst part about it is that it does not change the reality the purple and gold are enduring.

This just looks like a group that is on the cusp of some sort of locker room scuffle. Something of that nature—seriously.

I do not think it is a stretch to say a huge contributing factor to the way they are right now is due to James.

Earlier this month, the front office was making an aggressive effort to acquire superstar Anthony Davis. They were willing to sacrifice a ton of depth (a ton) to make the deal possible.

Although the deal did not occur, the fact that it was in the works sheds light on why the Lakers are fractured.

Gabe Zaldivar of Forbes raised a good point upon referencing the AD speculation. He asserted that it is tough for a team to develop chemistry when so many guys are possible trade bait.

"“But it’s hard to gain momentum and nurture cohesion when your core thinks it was about to be shipped off like a bunch of collectibles on eBay.”"

Yes, the trade deadline signifies that the NBA is a business. That is understandable.

However, it is probably immensely hard for a younger team to trust their leader, James, when he wanted them out of town. Seemingly without any regrets whatsoever.

Therefore, it is somewhat logical as to why L.A. is mired in the precarious predicament they’re in. LBJ was literally okay with letting half the team go in order to obtain one player.

That is not only a bad look for the superstar, but it reflects where the team resides well.

It is interesting that LeBron called the team out the other day for not being “uncomfortable” enough, per Stuart Ballard of the Daily Express. Sure, perhaps to James, they are not at the level he wants, nor are they at the level they need to be.

At the same time, comments like that are bound to make the team more at odds with the 3-time champion. At the bare minimum, it does not fix anything throwing the other dudes under the bus.

The Lakers are already “uncomfortable,” as it is, and a lot of it stems from James’ fairly evident lack of trust in his guys. Ouch… am I right?!

Now, I am not alleging James is 100 percent responsible for the Lakers’ woes. For instance, Walton could make wiser rotational decisions at times. One would think the team would be better at making a free throw at this stage.

Nonetheless, the lack of chemistry is a huge piece to the puzzle. The team will need to learn to live with one another quickly if they want to turn this ship around.

Otherwise, the organization’s 2018-2019 campaign will be a bust. The time to make a 180-degree turn is now. There is no second option for the Lakers.