It’s hard to talk to a Los Angeles Lakers fan right now.
The Purple and Gold are struggling to win a game against the Denver Nuggets despite having LeBron James and Anthony Davis playing day in and day out for them. It’s gotten to the point that fans have started to point fingers at Darvin Ham for his inability to come up with a winning game plan against the Nuggets.
However, there’s more to the issue than just a coaching problem. One analyst believes that one of the team’s most crucial players is liable for his inability to power the team against a Nuggets roster that completely beats them in nearly every department.
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James must be held liable for series struggles, says analyst
Jedd Pagaduan of ClutchPoints wrote a scathing piece about the Los Angeles Lakers’ failures against the Nuggets. With a sweep imminent for the Purple and Gold, he dissected where the Lakers failed to meet expectations.
While he hit on every facet of the Lakers’ postseason performance, he was harsh on LeBron, who he claimed wasn’t going above and beyond for the team:
With the Lakers blowing coverages and allowing offensive rebounds, James was pouting, putting his head down in frustration, and his shoulders were slumped. This isn’t the body language one would expect from a player of James’ caliber, especially when the game was still a bit in striking distance in the late third and early fourth.
He knows that his days in the NBA are numbered, and his contending days, even more so. LeBron James might look impervious to the hand of Father Time, but he is approaching his 40s and he has needed more help to contend for a championship than ever. James has gotten so accustomed to winning that it’s no surprise to see him be this dejected when he has been giving it his all for the Lakers and yet they couldn’t figure out the Nuggets problem.
James didn’t have a bad day at the office if you only look at his stats. He finished with 26 points, six rebounds, nine assists, two steals, and a block in 42 minutes of play. For him to pull that off at his age already makes it an impressive feat.
However, winning basketball games is more than just putting the ball into the basket. If LeBron does not put maximum effort for the Los Angeles Lakers every minute he’s on the floor, his team will get swept before he can even say comeback.
More must-reads: