Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is fed up with the lack of effort his teammates are showing, and he finally had enough and exploded on Monday against the Toronto Raptors.
Midway in the second quarter, LeBron tried hard to get the defensive rebound against three Raptors player. However, he didn’t get any help from his teammates as the other Lakers just watched him jump and fight for the ball.
Of course the Raptors got the rebound after Chris Boucher recovered it from the scramble. Making things even more frustrating for LeBron, he was called for a foul as he tried to block the 29-year-old big man. Visibly upset, the Lakers leader slammed the ball hard on the floor three times before shouting at his teammates–probably because they didn’t put any effort at all in getting the possession back, via Sports Center.
LeBron was visibly upset after the Lakers couldn't grab the rebound. pic.twitter.com/ZhDCKumiNT
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 15, 2022
It’s hard to blame LeBron James for his reaction. He has been singlehandedly carrying the Lakers in recent games–even dropping a couple of 50-point games–but even his ridiculous performances were not enough to get them out of the slump they are in.
Not to mention that James was probably expecting some kind of response from the Lakers after a horrible first quarter display against the Raptors. They scored just 12 points in the opening period, going 0-of-13 from deep. Naturally, he wanted his teammates to at least show some fight.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the team is mentally engaged anymore, looking like they have already given up on what appears to be a lost season. Of course James has been criticized for the same thing recently, with videos of him not fighting for a rebound going viral as well.
But then again, it’s not the time for the Lakers to lose hope or fight among themselves since they are not yet totally out of the playoff picture. They still have the play-in tournament, though that could really disappear of they don’t start showing that sense of urgency and desire to win at all cost.
The Lakers were at the ninth seed heading to Monday’s game, but the New Orleans Pelicans and Portland Trail Blazers remain at striking distance.