"If that guy who just turned 37 is all you got at the top, you're gonna have no chance" - Skip Bayless on LA Lakers and LeBron James
Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has received immense praise this season for his performances, but the Lakers continue to struggle in the 2021-2022 NBA campaign.
LeBron recorded his third 30+ point game in a row and his 18th of the season in the Lakers' 119-127 disappointing loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. James finished the game with 35 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, going three-of-four from beyond the arc as he shot an impressive 73.7% from the field.
On Fox Sports' morning show Skip and Shannon: Undisputed, sports media personality Skip Bayless talked about how the Lakers seemingly have no shot at sustained success this season. Bayless suggested that LeBron James cannot be the only performing Laker, especially when they come up against competitive teams like the Grizzlies.
"Last night, they were weirdly top heavy with only the guy in year 19. So, If that guy who just turned 37 is all you got at the top, you're gonna have no chance."
The Lakers' struggles this season have been clearly evident and despite James playing at an MVP caliber level, the Lakers continue to hover around the .500 mark. L.A. currently sit seventh in the highly competitive Western Conference and find themselves almost seven games behind the fourth seed Grizzlies.
"LeBron continues to play at an MVP clip. But if that guy who just turned 37 is all you got at the top, you're gonna have no chance."
— @RealSkipBayless on Lakers 4-game win streak snapped by Grizzlies https://t.co/DUY6dUSORl
The problem facing LeBron James and the Lakers
With the Lakers battling to find consistency, LeBron James has had to take matters into his own hands. Essentially, "Playoff LeBron" is already needed this season and we are only in January, spelling nothing but trouble for the Lakers.
James is 37 years old and has begun to pick up a few injuries over the last couple of years, which means that there is no guarantee these MVP-level performances are going to last. James is averaging 28.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 6.6 assists while shooting the ball better than 37% from the perimeter and nearly 53% from the field.
LeBron had 35 points tonight, the rest of Lakers starters had 22 combined.
It’s his 18th 30-point games this season, the most in the NBA.
The Lakers have lost 8 of those games, the most in the NBA. https://t.co/tfQwc1rpGw
The problem for the Lakers has been figuring out a lineup that can consistently deliver results. This task that has been made more difficult due to various players missing huge chunks of games due to either injuries or Covid-19. Most noticeably, Anthony Davis, an essential part of the roster, has been missing in action since mid-December due to a knee injury.
Russell Westbrook was brought in to ease the work load on James, handle on-ball duties and orchestrate the offense. Instead, his inability to establish any sort of chemistry with LeBron James and the rest of the Lakers has resulted in a disappointing season so far.
Question marks also surround the Lakers defense this season as they are currently ranked 16th in the league in defensive rating. On the other hand, offensively the team isn't doing that great either, ranking 22nd in that category. Having one of the oldest rosters in the league certainly doesn't improve the team's outlook either
With all that said, we are only in January and if anyone can figure out how to turn the Lakers' season around, it's LeBron James.