"We suck; No defense, can't score" - Anthony Davis when asked about the LA Lakers' collapse against the Chicago Bulls
Anthony Davis rued the LA Lakers third-quarter collapse against the Chicago Bulls on Monday. Mincing no words, he termed it 'lackadaisical, and implored his team to improve in that area.
The Purple and Gold certainly didn't expect this kind of a start to their season; they are now 8-7 on the season after their 103-121 defeat to the Bulls. They were the Western Conference favorites before the season commenced. But now many publications, including the NBA themselves, have removed the Lakers from their top ten power rankings.
The LA Lakers got outscored 37-25 in the third quarter. Reflecting on what went wrong in that period, Anthony Davis was curt in his response, saying the Lakers' defense has imploded in almost every third quarter this season. The big man said:
"We suck; no defense, can't score. It's not (just) this third quarter; it's every third quarter that we've played this season. We come out slow and lackadaisical, offensively and defensively. We have got to get it together. Why? I can't tell you. But we have to do a better job. We gotta do a better job coming out in the third."
The LA Lakers got blown out by the Chicago Bulls 121-103, trailing by 28 points at one point. They were lackluster in defense, and their offense had no rhythm at all.
Opposing teams aren't losing sleep before facing the injury-plagued LA Lakers. It's isn't just superstar LeBron James, but even role players and key rotation pieces like Kendrick Nunn, Trevor Ariza, Austin Reaves, and others are absent.
It is worth noting that one of the reasons for the Lakers' third-quarter implosion was Anthony Davis' ejection. He exchanged words with the referee, and was subsequently tossed out of the game. However, the Lakers were already trailing by 20 points at the time of Davis' ejection.
Anthony Davis got ejected because he was upset the referee resumed play while he was putting his shoe on https://t.co/oLHBz79rbl
Anthony Davis doesn't believe the LA Lakers are a championship team right now, calls the loss 'embarrassing'
Their injury woes apart, the LA Lakers simply don't have the offensive rhythm and chemistry that other teams in the league possess.
The Chicago Bulls, Golden State Warriors, Washington Wizards, the Utah Jazz and Brooklyn Nets are all sharing the ball well and working as a cohesive unit. Even with LeBron James healthy and on the floor, the LA Lakers lost their first two games at home.
Coach Frank Vogel is getting heavily criticized for his haywire rotations and lineups. He is often playing Russell Westbrook and Rajon Rondo at the same time while Anthony Davis constantly switches positions between the 4 and the 5. There is no continuity in the rotations. Although that can be partly blamed on the injuries and lack of depth, the Lakers' coaching staff has to do better.
Considering their disjointed performances this season, bereft of any focus and rhythm, Davis has said that the Lakers are not looking like a 'championship team' at the moment. Terming the team's performances as 'embarrassing', Davis said:
""Championship team? That's not us right now. We're not winning a championship the way we're playing. We gotta be better. We gotta care more for our wins at home, wins in general. That was embarrassing."
Anthony Davis: "We suck." https://t.co/VK3AOeCjXJ
With only eight wins in their opening 15 games, the Lakers are seventh in the Western Conference. They are barely clinging onto an above .500 record, enduring defeats against bottom-table teams like the OKC Thunder (twice) and Minnesota Timberwolves. Twelve of their first 15 games were at home, but they lost five of them, while going 1-2 on the road.
Many analysts are still not ready to give up on the Lakers just yet, as we are just 15 games into the season, and reports suggest King James' return is on the horizon. By the time the playoffs come around, the Lakers could be a vastly different team.
However, Anthony Davis and the LA Lakers cannot simply rely on James to carry them night in and night out. Their defensive and offensive rotations need to get better, and Anthony Davis needs to be the best version of himself. Most importantly, the team needs to have more energy when they come out of the locker room at half-time.
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