Following the Los Angeles Lakers’ loss to the Houston Rockets, where the Lakers not only fell to a team looking on the outside of the playoffs but had to deal with the antics of villain Dillon Brooks, LeBron James lit into his team’s lack of communication.
The Lakers dropped to 24-24 following the 135-119 loss on Monday night.
“Guys gotta communicate,” James said. “You got to know what we’re doing out on the floor, first of all. And then when you make adjustments throughout the game, you gotta know when the adjustments is made, so everybody is on the same page.”
“So, everybody needs to be in tune of what we’re doing so there’s no mishaps. And then sometimes there will be mishaps, you got to cover for one another. So, the game is not just X’s and O’s: It’s also being able to do things on the fly as well when things break down or the game presents different challenges,” James added.
(James’ comments start at 29:15 mark)
So, while the media, social media and the Lakers front office come up with a bunch of trade scenarios to help save LeBron’s season and allow him to transfer blame to everybody but himself, the franchise is in a funk and Bron is getting more fed up with his inability to make this team mesh at a high level.
Instead of focusing on the team at hand and trying some drastic changes within the personnel and style of play to see if that will improve things, fans are focused on the players the Lakers don’t have. Atlanta Hawks star DeJjounte Murray is the latest name that keeps popping up in a potential trade with the Lakers
Too Much Drama: Not Enough Leadership
We get that LeBron James has been the master manipulator and also Machiavellian in how he approaches his image and how he makes moves within the league, but he was a bit overly dramatic in trying to get Brooks ejected during the fourth quarter of a game that was not only embarrassing to the Lakers but meant everything to Houston.
James took a fall after getting hit in the head by Brooks. It was a hard foul, but nothing that should cause damage to a 6-foot-9, 260-pound locomotive like LeBron James, considered the GOAT by many basketball experts.
After Bron laid sprawled on the floor as if hit with a sledgehammer, he was able to remain in the game, didn’t require any medical assistance and Brooks was assessed a Flagrant 1 foul, so he wasn’t ejected.
As great as he is, LeBron already has a reputation as the supreme flopper, so the extra drama wasn’t needed.
Especially when you’re getting cooked by Jalen Green (34 points) and your worst nemesis in Brooks, who in addition to making LeBron’s night difficult, had 17 points, five rebounds, one assist and one steal while shooting 7 of 12 from the field and 2-for-4 from the three-point range in 28 minutes of playing time.
The win was also important for the Rockets, who are trying to catch the Lakers and move into that 10th spot in the West. With a 17-8 record over their past 25 games, Houston is 22-24 in their first 46 games, which has them knocking on the door as the 11th seed in the Western Conference as we approach the All-Star break.
Contrary to popular belief, these terrible losses definitely mean something for the Lakers and are more indication that the league has closed the gap on LeBron’s individual impact on a team, and most younger squads are moving past L.A. as far as being a consistent winner.
The More Lakers Lose, More Critical LeBron Will Be
In the meantime, expect LeBron to get more vocal and more critical of his team as a championship becomes more of a pipe dream every day. Also expect LeBron to post incredible statistical games, especially if he doesn’t feel his team can truly contend.
Once a trade is made, expect the pessimism to change to optimism. Until then, the Lakers will lose one and win two, win two and lose three as the loudest narrative will be LeBron doesn’t have any help.
This narrative that LeBron is playing better than he ever has and the younger players can’t keep up with him is a take for the lazy basketball fan. On certain days, when he has the energy, LeBron can dominate the ball and be aggressive to the hoop. Unfortunately, it’s not a style of play he can maintain each night.
Despite having another Top 75 player in Anthony Davis, the offense still revolves around LeBron James. The tempo is conducted by James and the style of play is based on the ability and capability of LeBron James – and if the last two seasons have shown us anything, it’s that he’s not the same player.
Achieving milestones and wistful thoughts of taking the same court with his son Bronny have definitely superseded winning or developing a new championship style. The last time the Lakers were relevant was in 2020 in the NBA Bubble and Rajon Rondo was leading the tempo of the team. The 2023 Western Conference title run was cute, but fell short.
Eventually the Lakers have to stop trying to play patch it and fix it and realize that LeBron James championship window is closed with him as the focal point of a team.
