“Nobody’s gonna fill LeBron’s shoes” - LA Lakers rookie Austin Reaves says the Purple and Gold need to step up in LeBron James’ absence
The LA Lakers went 0-2 against the OKC Thunder for the 2021-22 NBA season on Thursday (November 4th). The Purple and Gold blew a 19-point lead to lose the tie 104-107. The first meeting between the two teams wasn't much different as the Lakers gave up a 26-point lead in that contest.
The Los Angeles Lakers have now blown a 19-point lead AND a 26-point lead against the Oklahoma City Thunder, who still have zero wins this season against teams not named the Los Angeles Lakers.
Interestingly, LeBron James wasn't in the lineup for either of those matches due to injury. The LA Lakers have shown a tendency to lose focus in his absence so far. Rookie Austin Reaves weighed in on James' absence after the loss, saying the team needs to step up as a whole in the 'King's' absence. Here's what Reaves said (via Spectrum SportsNet):
"Nobody's going to fill LeBron's shoes but if everybody steps up and does a little more, we'll accommodate for the amount that LeBron does for us."
The LA Lakers did well to stay ahead of the OKC Thunder until mid-way through the fourth quarter when their opponents grabbed their first lead of the game. The Thunder did an excellent job of reading the Lakers' defense in the entirety of the second half, especially in the final frame of the match, as they outscored Anthony Davis and Co. 35-24 in that stretch.
Davis led the charge for the LA Lakers in the absence of LeBron James, scoring 28 points and 18 rebounds on the night. He got off to a hot start, converting all of his first seven field-goal attempts. However, he had a rough game after that offensively, going 4 of 13 from the floor.
Russell Westbrook had a decent game as well. But his costly turnover in the dying minutes of the match and a missed game-tying 3-point attempt on the last possession overshadowed his 27-point effort.
LA Lakers need to show more urgency
It is still early days in the season, and the LA Lakers are dealing with injuries to key rotation players. But it is evident that they aren't showing the urgency they need to at this point. That is one thing that has been pointed out by many over the last few games.
The LA Lakers' biggest problem has been their lack of attention to detail on defense, especially after earning a huge lead at the start of the game. They tend to relax a little, which has put them in difficult situations down the stretch. It happened in multiple games and eventually turned into a loss on two occasions against the OKC Thunder.
Frank Vogel says the Lakers have “big picture patience but small picture sense of urgency.”
With LeBron James out for at least a week, Frank Vogel and his staff must find a way to get more out of the available set of players on the team. The likes of Malik Monk, Kent Bazemore and DeAndre Jordan have underperformed in the last few games, so they will have to do better to help the LA Lakers fend off teams like Portland, Chicago and Miami, who they will be facing next.
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