5 Reasons Why the Lakers had the Most Disappointing Season

According to Caesars Sportsbook, the Los Angeles Lakers became the favorites to win the NBA title among 7 other elite teams (Nets, Boston, Suns, Bucks, Miami, Sixers, & the Warriors). Currently, the Lakers’ season is over for many reasons.

Let’s break down the 5 top reasons why the Lakers became a disappointment and failed to exceed expectations:

The “Lost” Angeles Lakers.

All season long, the Lakers have been lost and never found any chemistry whatsoever. Do you know who was the person to blame for the team’s struggles?

1. The Blame Game

The blame can be thrown at anyone.

The front office/owner (Jeanie Buss, Rob Pelinka, Kurt Rambis, and others) for allowing the Russell Westbrook trade to happen. The head coach (Frank Vogel), is now fired because of his lack of leadership and defensive prowess. With an aging roster, did Vogel think that this team would’ve made some noise and come out of the West?

Frank Vogel must’ve been drinking something.

The one person who was responsible for making the Russ trade happen was the one and only…LeBron James, along with his pal, Anthony Davis in agreement. To sink this in, let’s backtrack on what could’ve happened if the Russ trade did not happen.

DeMar DeRozan was supposed to come home to LA and play for his hometown. Along with the arrival of DeRozan, a Buddy Hield trade was almost done, per a report from former Lakers President Magic Johnson.

Now imagine a roster, of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, DeMar DeRozan, Buddy Hield, Malik Monk, Kyle Kuzma, Carmelo Anthony, THT, Austin Reeves, and a few rookies would make a lot of noise.

In the end, it was LeBron who recruited Russ and impacted the team’s failures.

2. Lack of Roster Makeup

The lack of youth and having aging players on the roster was a complete disaster. Both LeBron James and Anthony Davis signed up for their boy Russ to be a part of the team.

There was no leadership in the locker room.

Teammates were at war (Anthony Davis & Dwight Howard). Fans booing their own team, particularly Russ, by saying, “You Suck”. The word “Russ-brick” was thrown around by someone Russ did not like or name, which was Skip Bayless.

3. Coaching Struggles

Frank Vogel never forced Russ to come off the bench, which would’ve been the best move in Lakers’ history. Furthermore, Vogel’s defensive system didn’t work with an aging roster. During the disastrous season, Vogel never looked like he belong with the team some nights. Most nights, he is in the wrong situation and has looked defeated in losses.

Hopefully, the Lakers can turn the switch and find the right coach for the Lakers’ culture and system for the team to operate. Moreover, the front office, not including LeBron, should find players who will represent the purple and gold. The type of players who will do whatever it takes to win. Getting the 50/50 balls.

Defending the best player. Scoring consistently, even when you are having a bad game. Getting teammates involved on both offense and defense. Keep on encouraging teammates to not give up the fight, even though you don’t start the season well. Last but not least, take accountability for what you do on a daily basis.

Now, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Lakers kept the same core for next season.

Time will tell.

4. The Lone Warrior

LeBron James being the only one doing well did not work for the Lakers. Here is an interesting stat:

So, instead of getting Russ going, LeBron is the one putting the Lakers on his back to score two 50-point games?

This was a recipe for disaster.

As the Lakers kept losing, LeBron James always found a way to keep himself going and went on a scoring tear like no other at age 37. LeBron scored 50 pts, made 6 3-pointers, and did 8–8 from the free-throw line against the Wizards back on March 11, 2022. Then he scored 56 pts and 10 rebs on 61% from the field against the Warriors.

If only LeBron kept playing, he would’ve made history to be the oldest player to win a scoring title. I guess LeBron’s team was so embarrassing to watch, he chose not to get his 2nd scoring title.

Now, LeBron has to reflect on the disappointing season and the trouble he has caused the Lakers team.

5. No Accountability

Finally, Russell Westbrook became a liability. Russ lacked confidence in himself and made the most turnovers of any player in NBA history.

Russ never was accountable for his pitfalls and would speak harshly to the media for no reason. Simply put, the Lakers are a complete atrocity. A complete disaster and a disappointing franchise. In order to change this franchise around, there will be many changes come and Frank Vogel was the first domino that had to go.

The next one could be getting rid of the old players. After that can be anybody at this point.

Takeaways

My takeaway from this disaster is don’t recruit friends who will disrupt the Lakers’ system and culture. Russ needed a huge piece of humble pie and to learn from his mistakes. Don’t blame the media or anyone for your shortcomings. Who played the games? Who turned the ball over many times? Who said “yes” to joining the Lakers? Wasn’t it you, Russell Westbrook?

If Russ had only worked on his midrange game and decision-making plays, he would’ve been further ahead and ended up in the playoffs right now.

This tough situation is all on the Lakers to make changes.

These are the 5 reasons why the Lakers are the most disappointing team.

Thank you all for reading!

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