Chicago Bulls legend Scottie Pippen believes chemistry was not the only problem that doomed LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2021-22 season.
Pippen had been through a lot in his NBA career, and so he knows what it takes for a team to actually make it to the postseason and win at the highest level. For him, there was one thing the Lakers were severely lacking throughout the campaign: sacrifice.
Speaking with KTLA, Pippen shared that the Lakers undoubtedly had some of the best basketball talents in the world. However, the fact that there was no unity and the players didn't understand and buy in to their roles resulted to the disappointing season.
“I just felt like, this season, the sacrifice wasn’t there,” Pippen shared. “The players are obviously very talented. They brought in some players who are very knowledgeable about the game and can still play at a very high level, but I just felt like there wasn’t a lot of sacrifice from the individuals. That really caused that team to have a lot of chaos throughout the season.”
Scottie Pippen couldn't have said it any better. Questions about their fit alongside each other aside, the Lakers did really seem to play individually rather than a team. They were never able to figure out how to play with each other and combine their individual strengths to win.
In the end, it all boils down to the players not wanting to sacrifice.
It remains to be seen what LeBron James and the Lakers will do this offseason. They have already parted ways with head coach Frank Vogel, but there's work to be done when it comes to the roster to ensure each player will have a clear understanding of what they need to do to win.
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