"If you're going to a retirement facility, they’re not playing basketball" - Shannon Sharpe asserts that age is the biggest factor behind LA Lakers' current woes
Fox Sports analyst Shannon Sharpe believes the LA Lakers roster age is proving to be their biggest problem this season. With most of their stars on the wrong side of their 30s, the Lakers haven't had the pace to match up against relatively younger teams in the league, especially on defense.
The Houston Rockets were the latest team to take advantage of that and hand the LA Lakers their sixth defeat in seven games. Speaking about the loss on Fox Sports' show 'Skip and Shannon Undisputed,' former NFL star turned analyst Sharpe emphasized how the Lakers being an old team has affected them so far, saying:
"The Lakers are old. If you're going to a retirement facility, they're not playing basketball, they're not playing tennis, they're playing shuffleboard. You see the Lakers are old, they cannot do lateral movement, they don't go side to side. Yeah they'll play defense here and there, they'll try to catch somebody late in the shot clock, not let them get a shot off."
Sharpe then spoke about how the LA Lakers have consistently given up over 120 points, almost 60-70 in one half of the game on multiple occasions. The Lakers rank 17th as per the league's defensive ratings and 26th in opposition points per game, conceding 113.2 points on average.
.@ShannonSharpe on the Lakers loss to the Rockets: https://t.co/E1CRXeNpXH
LA Lakers slump to sixth defeat in seven games post-All-Star break
The LA Lakers were hoping to make a turnaround post the All-Star break. Before the break commenced, they had just secured an emphatic win over the Utah Jazz. However, they couldn't carry that momentum forward after the All-Star weekend.
The Lakers have lost six of their last seven games during that stretch, including losses against teams like the New Orleans Pelicans, San Antonio Spurs, and Houston Rockets. All three are seeded below the 17-time champions in the Western Conference and looked extremely comfortable against LA.
The Lakers are 4-13 in their last 17 games.
Only the Rockets are worse in that span.
They lost to that team tonight. https://t.co/JpEi32op1D
With Anthony Davis sidelined due to a midfoot sprain, the LA Lakers defense has crumbled again. LeBron James has played at the five in Davis' absence, but that move has only paid off on offense. The Lakers' lack of rim protection has allowed opposing teams to explore all kinds of scoring opportunities against Frank Vogel's side.
LA has struggled to start games off well, leading to them trailing their opponents by a significant margin down the stretch. James and Co. have managed to erase deficits, but they have failed to get over the hump. They are now nine games below the .500 mark, and as things stand, the LA Lakers may not even make it to the play-in tournament if they don't improve their performances.