Los Angeles Lakers: Three things we learned from their first game in MSG

Luke Walton refuses to go down with the ship

Normally, a head coach shouldn’t have a problem biting the bullet if they make a mistake, especially one that eventually cost their team the game. There was no such thing in Madison Square Garden after a disgraceful final sequence by Los Angeles.

Down four with barely any time remaining, Walton didn’t appear to be concerned with the fact that his players weren’t fouling. Not only that, but the fact that nobody fouled anyway — regardless of what the coach did or didn’t say — is alarming.

Don’t they have enough basketball IQ to be able to make that decision on their own?

I guess not, and that’s a huge red flag.

It was hard to watch, but then again, it shouldn’t really be that much of a surprise. The Lakers have been dysfunctional, to say the least, in the beginning part of their season and this last part was no different.

https://twitter.com/RileyCuller/status/940772290844856320

In addition that kerfuffle, Walton has been hesitant to change much of anything, despite criticism growing from outspoken Lakers fans like LaVar Ball. The elder Ball even got to the point where he elaborated that the franchise has no idea how to coach his son and is going about it all the wrong way.

He also emphasized, much like Kobe Bryant did, that Lonzo Ball needs to be doing better now, not later.

This might actually be the first time I agree wholeheartedly with the same stance as LaVar Ball, but that man has a point when it comes to this. If Los Angeles can’t — or at least for now, doesn’t — get a leader on the floor from one of their players, they should be able to lean on their coach at least just a little bit.