3 things we learned about the 2021 Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5 blowout

1. The 2021 Los Angeles Lakers have no idea who they are

This is something that I was touching on prior to the 2021 NBA Playoffs starting. The 2021 Los Angeles Lakers had no real time to play together as a cohesive unit. They never figured out the rotations, guys never truly learned what their role was on the team and that was very apparent on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, every single player on the Phoenix Suns knows their role and what they are required to do to win the basketball game. This was not a Devin Booker showcase in which he fooled the Lakers. This was a collective team win in which Phoenix was far superior to the Lakers.

As I wrote back in mid-May:

"“When we talk about the NBA Playoffs we are talking about the best teams in the league playing in the most high-pressure situations possible. While the Lakers have the experience advantage over any team in the league, they have the disadvantage of not having the same on-court chemistry that a team like the Utah Jazz, or even the Los Angeles Clippers, have.”"

I probably should have included the Phoenix Suns in that final sentence.

This was the exact same problem with the Los Angeles Clippers last year and was one of the points I consistently hammered home when arguing the Lakers over the Clippers for the 2020 NBA Championship. The Clippers never played together. The Lakers did.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis both missed significant time, the team brought in a significant new piece with a month to play in the season and in the offseason brought four new players while losing Danny Green, Dwight Howard, Rajon Rondo, Avery Bradley and JaVale McGee, to name a few.

Last year’s team knew exactly who they were. This team has no idea and the only reason they won two games in this series was Anthony Davis. About that…