Jovan Buha criticized the Lakers' lineup and leadership, saying the team's most-played lineups are ineffective, the Luka Doncic-LeBron James-Rui Hachimura trio can't compete with good teams, and both the front office and stars need to take a hard look in the mirror.
The Los Angeles Lakers are facing their toughest stretch of the season, dropping three straight games in a row. Despite a 19-10 record and a fifth-place standing in the Western Conference, the team's struggles indicate that changes are needed.
Los Angeles Lakers / Schedule
NBA reporter Jovan Buha said multiple aspects of the Lakers' approach need to improve before their season slips away.
"Something has to change," Buha said. "The front office and the ownership really have to look in the mirror and be like, 'Why do we continually struggle in the same ways?' The group is never deep enough, they're never healthy enough, they're never good enough on both sides of the ball.
"There's been some real athleticism and youth and just two-way concerns going on for half a decade now. JJ has to look in the mirror and ask himself, why are the team's most-played lineups so bad, and why is basically every lineup that plays consistently a net-negative.
"And then you have to look at the leaders with Luka and LeBron, and their effort level," he added. "Their care level needs to be better. The buy-in defensively needs to be better."
Buha then pointed out the Lakers' starting five.
"I just think it's time to retire this starting group. And not only do I think it's time to retire the starting group, I think it's time to retire the Luka-LeBron-Rui trio, specifically," Buha stated. "If your 2-3-4 positions are Luka, LeBron, and Rui, you're going to get lit up, and you just don't have a chance against good teams.
"I don't need more of a sample size. ... Utah blitzed them with that starting group. Like, I don't need to see more of that to know that this needs to change."
Credit Getty Images via AFP - Scanpix
On Saturday, coach JJ Redick held a team meeting to address the Lakers' issues, particularly on defense.
One team source told Dan Woike of The Athletic that the meeting was "anticlimactic," especially given the tension following the Christmas Day loss to Houston.
During the discussion, Redick took responsibility and outlined his priorities moving forward.
"Priority number one for me – role clarity. I think since we've gotten [LeBron James] back, we haven't been as organized offensively," Redick said. "Too many random possessions. That's on me. So, it's those three things: defensive clarity, role clarity, and offensive organization."
The Lakers enter the final week of December with the league's worst defense since Dec. 1, having lost six of their last 10 games. They face the Sacramento Kings on Sunday.
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