Some losses sting more than others. Tonight, a game LeBron James called “nasty” was the Lakers’ worst loss of the season. The Minnesota Timberwolves outdid them on both sides of the floor. A large reason for that – they managed to contain both LeBron James and Anthony Davis who combined for just 22 off the season-low 80 points. The sirens, though, are ringing over the latter’s recent shooting slump.
If there is one characteristic of LeBron James’ scoring that stands out, it is his efficiency. However, over the last few games, the 39-year-old seems to be battling a hurdle. It’s been six games since he shot 50% or above and in that stretch, James has only scored over 20 points once. Tonight, the Akron Hammer only managed 10, his joint lowest since January in a game against the Phoenix Suns.
Given the work rate he has had, playing nearly 34 minutes every contest, James could be finding it difficult to get his legs under him. Or maybe his game is finally regressing? In his last four games, he’s missed all 19 of his attempts from deep range. According to the 20-time All-Star, it’s a case of him finding his “rhythm”. And there is only ONE solution to get past his difficulties.
“Work. Just work, that’s all,” James admitted after the 29-point loss to the Timberwolves.
Although his output has deteriorated from his usual standards, LeBron James’ true struggles have come over a six-game period. The King is only shooing 39% from the field and has fallen off his highly accurate three-point mark. It’s not the first time King James will battle a slump. But at the same time, given his age, it might be tougher than before to get out of it.
Unable to rely greatly on his atomic athleticism, finishing has been a problematic area for LeBron James. But over time, he has constantly adapted his game. It shouldn’t be any different this time, although the results might not be as fascinating.
Anthony Davis has a fix for LeBron James and the Lakers
While James is among the top most influential players on the roster, his struggles aren’t the sole reason for the Lakers’ offensive decline. Over the past five games, the systematic offense has lost its discipline of sorts. Anthony Davis was quick to point that out during his post-game talks with the media.
“A lot of randomness,” AD said about the Lakers‘ current offensive state. According to the Brow, Purple and Gold are moving away from one of their offense’s core traits. “The thing is that we’ve put in place to kind of get us moving the basketball and body movement. We haven’t been doing that,” said the Lakers ace.
There’s no simple fix to such issues.
It is about establishing a constant identity, and the team seems to be finding difficulties with that. Yet, Anthony Davis feels the scoring unit can start thriving once again with one simple change. “Just get back into our spacing. We’re kind of on top of each other when guys are trying to drive. You know, guys are in their spot shooting and there’s a guy right under. So spacing is bad,” he admitted.
Spacing has been a problem for the Lakers, evident in their 28% three-point shooting over the last six games. It’s an 8% drop from their average for the season. Regular shooting threats such as Dalton Knecht have also found it hard to generate a rhythm with a poorly spaced-out offense.
The Lakers, though, have great basketball minds on their side. JJ Redick and his coaching staff are all obsessed with finding the intricacies. Then there is also LeBron James who decodes the game better than most of us. All that’s needed is to unify the LA team once again and use the Miami Heat matchup as a catalyst to rediscover their identity.
The post LeBron James Announces Solution to End Personal Troubles as Disgust Over Lakers’ Form Prevails appeared first on EssentiallySports.
