‘I don’t know if it would be in his or our best interest if he did this’ | Relief

Memories remain of a team that started the season 3-0. Players remain from that team that went 10-4 after winning six straight, but these Lakers are a shadow of what JJ Redick dreamed of. From the team that spent the first month of competition in the right direction. Fifth loss in seven games, with only victories over San Antonio and Utah as the schedule tightened and the defense disappeared, The Crypto Arena locker room is reminiscent of the Darwin Ham era.

It was one of those nights for the Lakers where everything went wrong and they found themselves facing a defense that at times was reminiscent of last year. The one that led the league thanks to Rudy Gobert’s differential in the paint. The Lakers had just 80 points left on the night, with Anthony Edwards scoring just 8 (3/13 shooting), and they didn’t need much more.

. The Wolves’ top three scorers were their three internal recommendations: Randle with 18, Gobert with 17 and Naz Reed off the bench with 15. For the Lakers, only D’Angelo Russell, who started in Austin Reaves’ absence, had good numbers. from 20 points in 12 shots. Their two stars, LeBron and Anthony Davis, combined for 22 points and 8/30 shooting (0/6 from three-point range). Almost a historic night.

Finally, there were 8:51 left in the game. LeBron James scored 10 points and maintained his streak of 1,242 straight regular-season games in double figures. He has achieved this in 1,505 of his 1,513 career games, although doubts are beginning to arise that he can keep that streak going the distance. He had four games last week with under 20 points and 45 percent shooting before scoring 27 points against Utah. YesUma has only played 21 games this season, nine nights in which he remained below 20 points and 50% efficiency. Not counting his rookie year, the highest score was 17 in 2015. He’s also missed 19 straight 3-pointers since his tie with Kyle Korver.

“After the Nuggets game, I told my players that the second half was an aberration. It’s becoming more and more clear that that’s not the case,” JJ Redick said of the team’s offensive crisis. The 80 points are their lowest since 2017, when they finished with 73. Through the seven-game series, JJ Redick’s team has the fourth-worst offense in the league: ahead of only Washington, New Orleans and Philadelphia, the three teams with the fewest wins. Part of it has to do with LeBron and his play, and part of it has to do with being tired of playing everything. “I don’t know if it’s in the team’s best interest to try to play all 82 games,” the coach said.

Luckily, before Christmas, the calendar becomes a little more accessible. After visiting Miami, always special for LeBron, and playing in Atlanta, the Lakers will face Portland, Sacramento twice and finally Detroit before Christmas. They’ll be part of Christmas Day against the Warriors on Dec. 25, cap off the year with James’ birthday, and host the Kings and Cleveland. December could save the Lakers season or A new reality is emerging: This team has never been a true contender, let alone LeBron and Davis, and its ceiling is different. It remains to decide which one.