It's difficult to be overly critical of a team that's above .500 in its first season under a first-year head coach. The Los Angeles Lakers, however, are a rare exception as a 12-10 team that has become the epitome of inconsistency.
In the midst of the worst stretch in franchise history, the Lakers are appropriately reacting to the erratic quality of play that has come to define their reputation.
Los Angeles has lost six of its past eight games, dropping four of its last seven outings by at least 25 points. That includes its most recent encounters that ended in 109-80 and 134-93 losses, thus creating the largest two-game margin of defeat in franchise history.
According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, Lakers head coach JJ Redick took accountability for his shortcomings and used a simple word to describe how he's feeling: "Embarrassed."
“I’m embarrassed,” coach JJ Redick said. “We’re all embarrassed. It’s not a game that I thought we had the right fight, the right professionalism. Not sure what was lost in translation. There has to be some ownership on the court and I’ll take all the ownership in the world. This is my team and I lead it and I’m embarrassed.”
Lakers superstar LeBron James echoed the sentiment, expressing his frustration with how the team has performed and utilizing the same word to express his thoughts.
“I don’t know,” James said of Los Angeles’ second-half woes. “We got to figure it out because it’s definitely embarrassing, for sure.”
As the Lakers attempt to turn things around, fans should find solace in the fact that the players and coaches are feeling exactly as they should: Embarrassed.
JJ Redick, LeBron James "embarrassed" by Lakers' recent play
Los Angeles is 12-10, ranks in the top half of the NBA in offensive rating, and is 10-3 during games decided by 10 points or less. Unfortunately, half of the Lakers' losses have been by at least 24 points, and they're now in the midst of an extended slide for the second time in just over a month.
Los Angeles has now endured four losses in five games, and six losses in eight during separate stretches of the first quarter of the 2024-25 season.
This trend of sustained failure has become a signature element of what makes the Lakers such a polarizing team. When things are going poorly, they can't seem to right the ship without first enduring an extended period of underwhelming play.
That's reached a boiling point over the past two weeks, with the Lakers dropping four games by at least 25 points and all but squandering a 10-4 start to the season.
Thankfully, the Lakers are above .500 and should be able to erase the concerns by stringing together wins. Unfortunately, that optimistic take is countered by the simple fact that Los Angeles responded to its four losses in five games with a six-game winning streak, only to end up where it is today.
With this in mind, even the traditional resolutions to poor performances have been rendered obsolete by the unpredictability of their quality of play.
The question facing James, Redick, and the Lakers is how they'll respond to feeling embarrassed by their performances. Anthony Davis has called Los Angeles out for its lifeless displays and pleaded with his teammates to stick together and not allow this historically poor stretch to break them apart.
It's too soon to panic, but the time to do so is inching closer with every lopsided loss the team has been prone to sustaining.