“It’s beneath his dignity to shrink and disappear down the stretch” - Skip Bayless criticizes LeBron James’ inability to lead LA Lakers to wins in close games
Skip Bayless has slammed LeBron James for his inability to lead the LA Lakers to wins in close-game situations this season.
The Lakers are 16 games below the .500 mark and are fighting to make the play-in tournament. They are currently 11th in the Western Conference, two games behind the tenth-seeded San Antonio Spurs.
Bayless believes James should've played better down the stretch for the Lakers, as he could've helped the team win games and hold a better position in the standings.
Here's what the Fox Sports analyst said on the most recent episode of Skip and Shannon: Undisputed:
"This has been my issue with this team (LA Lakers) all year long. Obviously, it's not a great basketball team, but it's way better than 16 games under .500."
"And I'll take 16 of those games and if we had a five-hour show. I promise you I can go back and find 16 times this season in which your man (LeBron James) could not close."
"It's just shocking to me, he's better than this, it's beneath his dignity, to shrink and disappear down the stretch game after game after game."
"I've seen enough. LeBron's team is 16 games under .500, the worst a LeBron team has EVER been. Yet he's still leading the league in scoring. LeBron is thinking: 'It's a blight on my resume so I have to win the scoring title to distract.'"
— @RealSkipBayless https://t.co/G1f2sGMDCC
LeBron James' LA Lakers hopes to qualify for the playoffs continue to slide as losing streak extends to six games
The LeBron James-led LA Lakers have the second-worst record in the NBA since the All-Star break (4-16).
A six-game skid has placed the Lakers two games behind a play-in berth with just four regular-season games remaining.
The Pelicans have swept the season series vs the Lakers.
They own the Lakers’ pick if it falls in the top 10.
The Lakers currently have the 8th worst record in the league.
That’s all folks. https://t.co/Y409pfmlml
During this stretch, the LA Lakers also saw LeBron James sustain an ankle injury. He has missed three of their last four games and remains questionable for the time being.
While Anthony Davis has returned after a two-and-a-half-month absence, it hasn't helped change the Lakers' fortunes.
The LA Lakers have struggled to be efficient down the stretch, blowing leads consistently, leading to their record worsening as the season progressed.
They are set to face the Phoenix Suns in their next match on Tuesday, followed by the OKC Thunder, Golden State Warriors, and the Denver Nuggets.
All of these games are must-win games for the Lakers if they want to make the play-in tournament.
Aside from the match against OKC, LA will be the underdogs for all the other games, making their hopes of qualifying for the play-in tournament even tougher.