Los Angeles Lakers: Franchise leaders at fault for current state of team

The Los Angeles Lakers have plummeted to 11th in the Western Conference standings and the franchise’s leaders are to blame if they miss the playoffs.

Coming into the season, the Los Angeles Lakers‘ roster lacked shooting and mobile big men, two coveted skills in today’s NBA. The front office sold people (guilty) on the idea that the additions of Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson and JaVale McGee would bring playoff experience and toughness to a team lacking in those departments.

Some believed the summer free agent class was okay in context (guilty again) based largely on maintaining future cap space and the greatness of LeBron James offsetting any roster deficiencies.

This was partnered with the expected improvements of their young core of Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart, and their fit next to James.

Whether you were split on their roster construction putting a cap on their ceiling in terms of making a run in the postseason, the Lakers were considered by many as a lock to make the playoffs.

They currently find themselves 11th in the Western Conference after losing consecutive games to two of the worst teams in the West, the New Orleans Pelicans without Anthony Davis and then the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Lakers were unable to take advantage of the teams above them losing and climb the standings, and now have a 3.0 percent chance to make the postseason, according to ESPN’s Basketball Power Index (BPI).

Injuries to LeBron (18 games missed) and Lonzo (13 games missed and counting with no timetable for return) gives them a small excuse, but missing the playoffs would be a complete failure for the team and LeBron personally.

The on-court product speaks for itself. They are 4-10 in their last 14 games, and 3-5 in the eight games LeBron has played. Their last three wins have been followed by two-game losing streaks, bringing the “one step forward, two steps back” phrase to life, especially when you lose to the Grizzlies the same night the San Antonio Spurs and Sacramento Kings lose as well.

The struggles are one thing, but the subtle digs in the media by LeBron are another. He seemingly deflected blame and said distractions shouldn’t be a factor in your production days after questioning whether “basketball is the most important thing your life,” while simultaneously releasing a date for Space Jam 2 and being in the studio with rapper 2 Chainz the night before sitting out a primetime game against the Golden State Warriors due to “load management.”

The chemistry of this team was already in flux after every player not named LeBron was thrown into Anthony Davis trade rumors — another questionable move that has LeBron’s (agency) fingerprints all over it.

There is no energy from the bench, both on-court and when they are cheering from their seats. Nobody outside of Moritz Wagner and Lance Stephenson visibly stands up and supports their teammates. Rajon Rondo stands, but is often barking commands and acting as another coach, which has yet to be determined if it’s a positive.

This team was a 4-seed and 20-14 before LeBron went down with an injury, and he may not be fully healthy, but he’s failed as a leader in recent weeks.

The leader doesn’t allow his agency to orchestrate and leak trade discussions to the media about trade demands with a particular team at the forefront of desired places. Whether LeBron was involved in that or not is speculation at this point, but the leader doesn’t question the commitment of teammates while he announces a movie, works with a rapper in the studio and promotes an episode of his television show … starring the guy who wanted a trade to the Lakers for the current young players.

That’s only considering off the court. On the court, leaders set the tone defensively, not sag off, give lackluster effort and dare the referees to call a three-second violation on him while never boxing out an opponent.

Or how about this hard closeout on a wide open shooter?

Offensively, the leader cuts and moves the ball. He doesn’t stand on the perimeter five feet behind the 3-point line watching the rest of the offense go 4-on-5, or settle for 35-foot jump shots in the final minutes of a close game.

Or how about this airball?

Fault can’t be cast on the healthy young players. Brandon Ingram is averaging 20.9 points per game and shooting 50.4 percent from the field since LeBron returned. Kyle Kuzma is averaging 19.3 points while knocking down 41.2 percent of his 5.7 3-point attempts per game in that same span. Lonzo is still out and Josh Hart hasn’t been healthy in months, limiting his playing time.

LeBron himself is averaging a triple-double since returning, but his numbers don’t make up for his defense and effort on both sides of the floor. People bashed Russell Westbrook for stat-padding and ball-watching with his hands on his knees at during his 2016-17 MVP season, and, fair or not due to health, LeBron seems to be playing in this sense — minus Westbrook’s constant energy.

Not everything can fall on LeBron’s shoulders. There is a dip in production from the center position. Rajon Rondo has been bad, the shooting concerns still exist despite Reggie Bullock shooting 44.8 percent on 5.8 3-point attempts since joining the Lakers, and Lonzo’s absence really limits their offense.

The young players have said the right things and played well on the court with all of the trade talks. They’ve played as expected. It’s on LeBron to perform to his standards and lead this team to the playoffs.

He green-lit Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka taking their time to build a championship contender, saw them sign questionable players in free agency, had his agency push for a trade and questioned his teammates’ commitment. It’s almost comical in retrospect that they swapped productive players that fit their current roster needs in Julius Randle and Brook Lopez for the Meme team.

This playoff miss wouldn’t fall on Ingram, Lonzo or Kuzma. It would rightfully on the failures of LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Rob Pelinka and Luke Walton.