“LeBron can’t leave the court” - Shannon Sharpe stresses on LeBron James’ importance to the LA Lakers as they capitulate when he steps off the court, says they are a terrible defensive team
The LA Lakers' incredible reliance on superstar LeBron James seems to have no end at the moment as Los Angeles continues to reel.
On Fox Sports' morning show "Skip and Shannon: Undisputed," former NFL star Shannon Sharpe talked about how James seemingly cannot leave the court for the Lakers because the team tends to capitulate without him. Sharpe said:
"LeBron can't leave the court. He leaves the court and it is a 10-point lead; he comes back and it's a 5-point lead."
The Lakers fell to the Memphis Grizzlies 104-99 Wednesday night despite taking a double-digit lead in the third quarter. James recorded 37 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists. Despite James' heroics, the Lakers fell to 17-19 with their sixth loss in their past seven games.
Sharpe praised how well James has played at age 37 and in his 19th season. Sharpe said:
"We have never seen anything like this. You just sit and marvel at what this man is doing. He just needs a supporting cast to do what they were brought in to do. If they can do just that, I'm not saying they can win a title, but they will be better than what they are."
"LeBron can't leave the court."
@ShannonSharpe reacts to the Lakers 104-99 loss to Memphis, blowing another double-digit lead: https://t.co/PwpEj45rJd
How can LeBron James and the Lakers improve defensively?
The defense has been at the root of almost all of the problems for LeBron James and the LA Lakers. The Lakers are ranked 14th in defensive ratings and it shows, especially in the third quarter as they are ranked 20th in the league in terms of defensive ratings.
These numbers cannot be exhibited by teams with championship aspirations unless there is a juggernaut of an offense that can paper over these cracks. The Lakers don't possess that capability at the moment.
Having the oldest roster in the NBA definitely doesn't help defensively as these players don't have the legs to maneuver themselves on defense. On top of that, very few of these players have been good defensively in their primes, let alone now at the back end of their careers.
The Lakers are 9-10. They are:
24th in net rating
25th in offensive rating
20th in defensive rating
28th in points allowed
29th in turnovers per game
20th in threes per game
They have trailed by 25+ points in 1/3 of their games this season. https://t.co/WjyPWqcO8i
Coach Frank Vogel, who made his name for developing some of the NBA's best defensive teams, has to be asked questions regarding this defensive calamity. Even James isn't exempt from criticism in this department as he, too, has been caught out of position defensively.
The absence of Anthony Davis certainly hinders the defense as the four-time All-Defensive team member was someone who could be a rim protector and guard the perimeter.
Avery Bradley is possibly the best defensive player on the team other than AD. And with Kendrick Nunn and Trevor Ariza returning soon, the Lakers do have defensive reinforcements coming in, and they definitely need them.