LeBron James issued an apology to Los Angeles Lakers fans on Sunday night.
“#LakerNation I apologize and I promise we’ll be better!” LeBron tweeted.
The Lakers are mired in a three-game losing skid and are under .500 (21-22) after 43 games. They opened the 2021-22 NBA season as favorites to win the Western Conference and were certainly expected to compete for an NBA championship.
The Lakers suffered their most lopsided defeat in nearly three years on Saturday, falling to the Denver Nuggets by 37 points. Over the past five games, the Lakers have surrendered an average of 123.4 points per game. Los Angeles has lost eight of 13 games since Anthony Davis suffered an MCL sprain on December 17. The Lakers' defensive rating—which was ninth in basketball when AD went down—now ranks 27th during that span, and they've given up the second-most points per game.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/1TPm3OFftbac33PA5zzf8R?si=9dc076fa36664aa7
LeBron did not speak to the media after the Nuggets loss—a rarity. Magic Johnson, however—along with Russell Westbrook, Frank Vogel, and Dwight Howard—called out the Lakers for yet another uninspired effort, especially on the defensive end.
The Lakers have only six wins this season against teams in the top-10 in their respective conferences. They've consistently struggled against high-level playoff teams, of which their upcoming schedule is loaded with.
Lakers are now 6-15 against teams currently in the top-10 of their respective conference https://t.co/5fqXFBSzgq
— Michael Corvo (@michaelcorvoNBA) January 16, 2022
“I only play the game for one reason, it’s to win,” James said after the loss to the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday. “And no matter what I’ve been doing as far as this season so far, it hasn’t really resulted in as many wins as I would like. So I continue to see ways that I can be better as well. See ways of what I can do both offensively and defensively or for me from a leadership standpoint to help this team get over the hump a little bit more.”
*Click here for Lakers championship odds, courtesy of FanDuel*
Of course, none of this is LeBron's fault—other than his behind-the-scenes recruitment of Westbrook last summer. On the court, the 37-year-old is having an MVP-caliber season. In 31 games, LeBron is averaging 28.9 points (second in the NBA and his highest since his first stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers), 7.5 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game. He's shooting 51.9% from the field and 36.2% from three-point range. LeBron also orchestrates the Lakers' offense and has primarily played center in recent weeks.
The 19-year veteran is also third in the league in minutes per game (36.7), which is not ideal.
I know defense/effort was the bigger issue vs. the Nuggets (and maybe overall), but worth noting: LeBron James has led the Lakers in scoring in 16 of the past 17 games, with the exception being…Isaiah Thomas.
Russell Westbrook has led the Lakers in scoring once(!) all season. pic.twitter.com/0WSJ9rgKbX
— Michael Corvo (@michaelcorvoNBA) January 16, 2022
“So, for me, I don’t get caught up in usage rates and heavy loads and things of that nature. That’s been me my whole career, since I was an 18-year-old kid taking over a franchise. So, that type of pressure or that type of load is something I’m accustomed to, I’ve been accustomed to for 20 years,” said LeBron.
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