Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James. Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

LeBron James gives blunt assessment of Lakers after loss to Hawks

By Jeff Smith | Last updated Jan 31, 2024 8:31 AM ET

The Los Angeles Lakers dropped their second consecutive game on Tuesday night, a 138-122 loss to the Atlanta Hawks in the third game of a six-game road stretch. Following the disappointing loss, Lakers star LeBron James was as direct and candid as he's been in recent memory. When evaluating this Lakers team, he summed things up with two sentences that perfectly described the group this season.

"We could, on any given night, beat any team in the NBA," James said, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "And then, on any given night, we could get our ass kicked by any team in the NBA."

LeBron James on the 24-25 Lakers: “We could on any given night beat any team in the NBA. And then on any given night we could get our ass kicked” pic.twitter.com/IlKra5XAmy
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) January 31, 2024

The Lakers fell to 24-25 with the loss, a fact that James also mentioned after his statement. They've sat around the .500 mark for the bulk of the season and James is correct in the assessment that the Lakers can compete with any team out there. Unfortunately, he's also spot-on about the fact that they can lose to any team on any night, as we've seen this team look great together, and also struggle mightily.

Jeff Smith

Jeff Smith has extensive experience as a sports writer and editor, including stops at ESPN, FOX Sports, CBS Sports, USA TODAY SMG, and Heavy. Jeff's passion for sports content starts and finishes with writing and he's grateful to be able to work in that field on a daily basis.

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