LeBron James, Austin Reaves address NBA Cup elimination

The Los Angeles Lakers couldn't keep the ball rolling in a loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

Despite Victor Wembanyama's absence, JJ Redick's team fell flat at home.

They're no longer in contention for the NBA Cup, and the loss may have raised some questions about their playoff-readiness. LeBron James and Austin Reaves didn't sound too pleased after the loss. However, they know there's still plenty of time left to fix things.

LeBron James, Austin Reaves react to NBA Cup elimination

"I can’t think about what we can do in the playoffs in December," James said, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "Talking about what type of damage we can do in the postseason in December, that’s not right for the Basketball Gods.”

Reaves was a little more candid. He talked about the Lakers' struggles to guard the perimeter as their main flaw, and while he still believes in the team's ability to get it right, he also knows it'll be a collective effort.

“That’s a weakness we got to get better at. The spirit is still high in here, we know we can do it," Reaves said, via McMenamin. "But we have to be a group that guards with five people.” 

James' agent, Rich Paul, recently made the rounds for claiming that the Lakers weren't true championship contenders. 

LeBron and Reaves may not have explicitly agreed with that take, but they're well aware of the team's areas of improvement to prove him wrong.

Then again, it's still early in the season. James is getting his legs back under him, and the trade deadline is months away, so there's more than enough time to straighten the course of the ship.