"This is the 3rd seed in the Western Conference and we know what they represent" - Shannon Sharpe impressed by the LA Lakers' performance vs the Utah Jazz
NBA and Western Conference powerhouse the LA Lakers have received immense praise after their hard fought win against the Utah Jazz.
On Fox Sports' morning show Skip and Shannon: Undisputed, former NFL star Shannon Sharpe, was asked for his thoughts on the LA Lakers' victory over the Jazz. In response, he heaped praise on the Los Angeles-based team for the win and was thoroughly impressed by LeBron James and co. Sharpe said:
"I gave them a 9 because it's Utah. This is the 3rd seed in the Western Conference and we know what Utah represents. Utah is a very good team. Donovan Mitchell is an All-Star. Rudy Gobert, I think, is a three-time defensive player of the year."
Sharpe continued:
"Especially, getting down by 10 points late in the third quarter and finding a way to comeback, and if you look at how they did it, a lot of the guys they did it with were role players."
Sharpe wrapped up his soliloquy by saying:
"I was impressed for the simple fact they beat a team that we know they going to be in the playoffs, can make a lot of threes, Donovan Mitchell can take a ball game over, Rudy Gobert leads the league in rebounding. So I was very impressed with what I saw last night."
On a scale of 1-10 how impressive was the Lakers win over the Jazz?
"I gave them a 9 because it's Utah. This is the 3rd seed in the Western Conference and we know what they represent. They found a way to come back and did it with role players." — @ShannonSharpe https://t.co/z9TnZSWwgb
Can the LA Lakers turn it around after this performance against the Jazz?
The LA Lakers have reeked of inconsistency and poor defense all season long and those are the two main issues with the LeBron James-led side thus far. With Kendrick Nunn and Anthony Davis continuing to be sidelined due to injuries, the LA Lakers have struggled with personnel this season, but so has the rest of the league due to injuries or COVID-19.
The LA Lakers are ranked 24th in the league in terms of offensive rating and that has been evident because of the lack of chemistry and the sheer number of turnovers they seem to record every game. Russell Westbrook has been the main culprit for the high turnover count but seemingly has that under control over the last couple of games. The former league MVP has recorded only six turnovers in the last six games for the Lakers.
The Lakers entered play with a 230-0 record (including playoffs) when leading by at least 25 points in a game over the last 25 seasons.
They led by 26 tonight, their largest blown lead over that span. https://t.co/2fd5GdH5Dd
On the other hand, the defense has been all over the place as the oldest roster in the league just doesn't have the legs to keep up with teams that comprise good perimeter shooters and young players. The LA Lakers are ranked 18th in the league in terms of defensive rating. It is not a good look for head coach Frank Vogel, who has made a name in the league for assembling some of the best defensive teams.
With all that said, the LA Lakers' performance against the Jazz was filled with positives, as the Lakers managed to restrict the best offensive team in the league to just 95 points while shooting less than 27% from beyond the arc. The likes of AD and Nunn returning to the team will provide a much-needed boost defensively and provide a different dimension to the offense.