3 alarming observations about the Lakers role players
3. LeBron James is noticing his teammates are failing him!
The King of the Lakers himself, LeBron James, noticed that his teammates were ice-cold throughout the entire game. LeBron realizes that opposing teams are only going to let his teammates shoot to their heart’s content.
"“I think we’re getting great looks and I think there also could be teams giving us great looks. I mean, to be completely honest, we’re not a team that’s constructed of great shooting,” James said. “And that’s just what the truth of the matter is. It’s not like we’re sitting here with a lot of lasers on our team."
LeBron is aware of what’s going on. If we take out Kendrick Nunn’s excellent performance (5-9 from the field and 3-6 from three-point range!), they shot a dismal 6-25 from the field (24%) and 3-18 from deep (17%).
A leopard suddenly does not change his spots in one season. These role players who were known more for their length and defense are not suddenly going to shoot 40% from deep. LeBron is facing a set of ten eyes when attacking the basket. Opposing help defenders can be overzealous in their help defense against the majority of the Lakers players on the court.
What does that mean for LeBron? He knows his team is going nowhere. His priority, therefore, becomes breaking the NBA’s all-time scoring record as opposed to doing the little things necessary to win.
This means he’ll continue to pad his stats in blowouts, jog back on defense, and keep being candid in post-game interviews. He appears to be at peace with the fact that the Lakers are not going to be title contenders.
I hope I am wrong, but I doubt it. LeBron and the Lakers can prove me wrong when they face the Clippers.