Many felt that LeBron James' return late last month was essentially going to be a cure-all for the Los Angeles Lakers' issues.
That has not been the case.
Since James returned on Jan. 31, the Lakers have gone just 2-5, including a 42-point loss to the Indiana Pacers, a 23-point loss to the Philadelphia 76ers and, most recently, a loss to the Atlanta Hawks.
Los Angeles heads into the All-Star break with a record of 28-29 and finds itself on the outside of the Western Conference playoff picture, and many are wondering if head coach Luke Walton will even make it through the season.
However, Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma is maintaining a positive attitude, saying that the team just needs to have some fun:
“We just need to have fun out there, play as a team, play some defense,” per Ryan Ward of ClutchPoints. “That's kind of the problem.”
When asked if he felt whether or not Los Angeles should have already been doing those things instead of waiting until there were two months remaining in the regular season, he essentially said that the club hasn't gotten a chance:
“No, because we haven't had a team all year because we've been hurt,” per Ward. “We've only played like 8 games as a full roster.”
Kuzma makes a good point, as the Lakers have been ravaged by injuries all season long, whether that's LeBron, Rajon Rondo, Brandon Ingram or Lonzo Ball.
Still, Los Angeles is running out of time to start making things happen, and if the Lakers do make the playoffs, they run the risk of meeting the Golden State Warriors in the first round.
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