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There's nothing more to say about the state of the 2021-22 Los Angeles Lakers. LeBron James knows it.
On Monday, the Lakers were blown out for the second time in as many days. After getting baked 140-111 by the Phoenix Suns in the desert on Sunday — their 10th straight road loss — they fell haplessly to the Toronto Raptors back in Los Angeles, 114-103. The Lakers fell behind by 21 points in the first quarter and trailed by double-digits until the final minutes when a last-gasp surge momentarily brought Crypto.com Arena to life. As has been the case numerous times this season, it was too little, too late.
The Lakers trail the Raptors 33-12 at the end of 1Q. They shot 3-of-25 from the field.
One night after giving up the most points in a first quarter this season (48), the Lakers scored their fewest points in a 1st quarter this season.
— Michael Corvo (@michaelcorvo_) March 15, 2022
The Lakers are 2-8 since the All-Star Break — and winless when LeBron doesn't score 50+ points. They're a season-worst 10 games below .500 (29-39).
Once again, the Lakers came out without any juice, dug themselves into a deep hole shockingly quickly (they trailed 30-6), couldn't make jumpers, and lacked fortitude on defense and on the boards. Like in Phoenix, they looked utterly disinterested in seriously competing.
At the moment, there's nothing more to say or analyze about this Lakers team. They are resigned to the fact that the season is a failure. They know they can't realistically compete for a title, a harsh but undeniable truth that LeBron reiterated on Sunday. LeBron has acknowledged that his sore left knee won't heal until the offseason. And, this accomplished, veteran-laded group knows the roster will be overhauled this summer. They are chasing the finish line, more than a ring.
Smart point from Worthy: Switching can cause players to "soften up" bc they know they don't have to fight through a screen. Locked-in teams without effort issues can pull this off. Teams like the Lakers, who struggle to maintain energy/focus, are more susceptible to this problem. https://t.co/yvUT2uyClb
— Michael Corvo (@michaelcorvo_) March 15, 2022
Until something dramatically and magically changes — be it the return of Anthony Davis (still a couple of weeks away, and LeBron downplayed its impact, anyway), the team discovering a newfound spark as the playoffs near (unlikely) or Russell Westbrook accepting a bench role (even more unlikely) — there's no reason to find a new angle or accentuate any positives, such as 20 points from Talen Horton-Tucker or Wenyen Gabriel's intriguing skill-set.
Certainly, there's no reason to overreact to any postgame words from the Lakers. As recently as Sunday, they continue to lament their inconsistent effort and fragility in the face of any adversity. They insist they know they have to try harder, especially early in games, yet never back up those sentiments. Frank Vogel said the Lakers worked on transition defense and rebounding on Monday morning, but you wouldn't know it from their showing vs. Toronto.
All of this is why I was relieved when the Lakers announced that LeBron James would not be speaking to the media after the Raptors loss, shortly before Westbrook conducted an 80-second postgame presser. Here's a transcript of Westbrook's media session:
On shots not falling early: “Simple as that. When shots are not falling in, and they’re making a lot of shots, it put ourselves in tough hole to be able to get out of.”
On how to stay in the moment and make plays after falling behind big: “You don’t quit. You just compete, you know one thing you can do, regardless of score miss and make shots. (Not) competing is not an option, so just compete to the best of your ability. Just leave what you have on the floor, and you can live with the result after the game.”
On why they've been flat for two straight first quarters: “Not sure. I don't have the anwer for you on that one.”
And…scene.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4qJr8PRfMQkIddNt04tjzE?si=f65abf4fcd9e4fac
Now, Westbrook's second answer there — along with Vogel actually crediting the Lakers for their fight vs. Toronto — is meaningless. He is often guilty of lackadaisical effort and confounding lapses in focus. (Meanwhile, in Chicago…) And from a Lakers perspective, nothing productive could have come from LeBron talking postgame. He was either going to reiterate the team's obvious issues, understandably play it safe via empty platitudes, or exasperatedly subtweet his teammates. At least he made individual history in Phoenix, which provided him with a positive topic to reflect on.
With 14 games remaining, the Lakers still have a plethora of unresolved schematic and personnel issues. But, until they commit to giving a hoot for four quarters, no switches will be flipped and no pages will be turned, regardless of what cliches or half-hearted accountability is uttered at the podium. The words are worthless. Might as well keep it short, then.
