The Los Angeles Lakers have reached a low point in the season, losing to the Phoenix Suns on a last-second shot in what was the team’s third straight defeat. Despite a strong performance from Luka Doncic, questions about JJ Redick’s fit as head coach, Deandre Ayton’s play as starting center, and the fit with LeBron James are all becoming growing issues for the Lakers as they begin to fall in the Western Conference standings.
Issues across the board for Los Angeles were clear on Thursday against the short-handed Suns, and while they kept it a tight game until the final buzzer, the Lakers are now drawing more criticism than at any other point this season, specifically as it relates to Redick, Ayton, and James.
Ayton was already under fire after a slew of underwhelming performances and a recent quote in Dave McMenamin’s article about his standing on the team, and as the days go on and the losses continue, now both Redick’s coaching style and James’ fit next to Doncic and Austin Reaves have each become growing concerns the Lakers have yet to solve.
JJ Redick Under Fire Amid Disastrous Lakers Run
While the blame for the Lakers’ continued issues has fallen on a few players like James and Ayton, Redick has been another subject of criticism after the team has now lost three straight games. Speaking on ESPN’s Get Up, Kendrick Perkins gave a blunt reaction to the second-year head coach.
Kendrick Perkins on the Lakers 👀
“JJ got more excuses than a brotha going to jail,” Perkins said on Friday. “It’s time for you to coach. Get the attention of your locker room. When you have one of the worst defensive teams in the league, that is a reflection on the coach.”
Defense remains one of the aspects of the game that the Lakers can’t find answers to. They currently rank 24th in defensive rating, giving up an average of 115.9 points per game.
The team also had a perfect 13-0 record in clutch-time games decided by just a few points in the final minutes to start the year, but has gone 3-5 since, including in their last two losses to the Orlando Magic and now Phoenix.
Still, Redick believes the Lakers’ losses are seen differently than those of other teams.
“We talk about this as a staff, like our losses are louder than other teams. Because we’re the Lakers, and because of the way we lose,” he said postgame. “We made mistakes. I make mistakes… That’s the game.”
While Redick was seen as one of the up-and-coming coaches in the NBA, fans have now put him on the hot seat as the Lakers continue to struggle with their star trio, which so far hasn’t lived up to expectations. He did draw up a play that almost saw Reaves hit the game-tying shot, but with the miss, he’s now under more fire than ever.
Deandre Ayton Struggles Continue, Benched Near End Of Game
Over the past few days, Ayton has been a leading storyline for Los Angeles, but not in a good way. In McMenamin’s recent article about the starting center, amid his underwhelming performances, Ayton criticized his role on the team, claiming that he wasn’t Clint Capela, in what sounded like a shot at the current Houston Rockets‘ big man.
In the loss to the Suns, Ayton put up two points and four rebounds on 1/3 shooting in 23 minutes. He was benched near the end of the game in what was his fourth contest in the last seven scoring less than double-digits.
LeBron will play center to close out the game 👀
While there were hopes Ayton would help anchor the Lakers’ defense this season while giving Doncic, James, and Reaves a solid pick-and-roll partner and lob threat, that has not been the case. His consistent emotional outbursts and struggles on the court have played a big part in Los Angeles’ recent poor form, as it was evident on Thursday night.
Even Capela, whom Ayton took a shot at in McMenamin’s article, responded to the center’s struggles.
“U got 2 of the best floor general in the game my dawg lockinnn,” he wrote on social media.
(via @mcten, ccapela15/IG)
Though Ayton has been the subject of major criticism, he isn’t the only Lakers player whom fans haven’t been happy with.
LeBron James Plus/Minus Becoming A Major Concern
At 41 years old, James is by no means the same player he was at his prime, or even a few years ago. But while there was hope he would still be a top-tier contributor alongside the younger Doncic and Reaves, that hasn’t been the case, specifically seen with his plus/minus numbers on the court with the two.
“The problem with that is this team is awful when their three best players (LeBron James, Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves) are on the floor together. Going into last night, they were minus-8.4 per 100 possessions in 13 games together,” Zach Harper wrote for The Athletic. “Add Ayton to the mix, and that drops to a minus-12.5 net rating.”
Specifically on defense, like with Ayton, James is becoming an even greater liability than at any other point in his career. Not to say that the Lakers rely on him for major defensive responsibilities, but there is a clear difference in the team’s efficiency on that side of the floor when he’s on the court.
Vishwesha Kumar of Fadeaway Sports detailed the vast canyon of differential when James plays alongside Doncic and Reaves compared to when he’s out, as on both sides of the ball, the 41-year-old hurts the Lakers’ ratings.
Additionally, Brian Windhorst of ESPN claimed that with James, the Lakers aren’t a good team. But with Doncic and Reaves, they are an excellent team, and the stats back that up.
“When Luka, LeBron, and Austin Reaves play together, they’re just not a good team,” Windhorst said. “They’ve been leaning on the fact that injuries have prevented them from having time together, but the data is just the data. When Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic, just two of them out there, the Lakers are an excellent team.”
“When Luka, LeBron, Austin Reaves play together, they’re just not a good team… When it’s just Reaves and Luka the Lakers are an excellent team. When all 3 play, they’re not”
(h/t @NBA__Courtside)
It might be hard to put all the blame on either Redick, Ayton, James, or anyone else on the team, but they each play a part in the Lakers’ recent poor form. Doncic finished the loss to Phoenix with 41 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists, and while he has rightfully been the subject of criticism too, Los Angeles has major issues across the board that, at this point of the season, don’t look like they can be fixed in time for a deep playoff run.
While things were looking good in Laker Land to start the year, the narrative has dramatically shifted, and after the team’s third straight loss, fingers are starting to be pointed, and blame is now being assessed.
LeBron, Redick, And Ayton Under Fire Amid Disastrous Lakers Skid