LOS ANGELES – Clinching a playoff spot in the highly-competitive Western Conference seems more like a pipe dream than a reality for the Los Angeles Lakers after they dropped their fourth straight game on Wednesday night.
The matchup against the Denver Nuggets at the Staples Center was highlighted by LeBron James passing Michael Jordan on the NBA's all-time scoring list, but the result for this Lakers team was the same as they couldn't contend with one of the league's best teams.
The Lakers have won only four games since LeBron came back from a groin injury which he suffered back on Christmas Day against the Golden State Warriors. The three-time NBA champion missed 18 games due to the injury, and this team hasn't been able to get back on track since.
With the team now sporting a record of 30-35 and the team six and a half games back of the eighth seed which currently belongs to the L.A. Clippers, the prospect of ending the playoff drought this season is remote. The team's lack of effort defensively has been well documented as of late, and the injuries are starting to pile up, head coach Luke Walton seems to be embracing the fact that they'll miss the postseason with some changes forthcoming.
“The goals could change possibly,” Walton said. “With our group, even when the season started, our goals were let's get in these playoffs and make some noise. We rely on so many young players that player development was still a big part of what we needed to do this season heading into next season. We needed the growth from young players. Now the amount and the priority, that might change as we go down this final stretch of the season, but for now, we're out there trying to win.”
At this point, some of the team's best players are banged up and might be better suited watching from the bench in street clothes rather than battling through the final stretch and risking further injury.
Kyle Kuzma is the latest player dealing with health issues after severely spraining his ankle against the Clippers. Brandon Ingram is also fighting through a shoulder injury that seemingly came out of nowhere and has kept him sidelined for the last two games. Along with arguably their two-best players behind LeBron being banged up at the moment, Lonzo Ball is still trying to work his way back on the court as he deals with an ankle injury of his own.
The writing appears to be on the wall in Los Angeles that the time has come to start thinking about what to prioritize. Although Walton says the team is still trying to win, the product on the floor says otherwise and shutting down some of their best and brightest might have to be their next course of action.
Follow Us
Subscribe