5 Lakers to Blame for Embarrassing Stretch

LeBron James

This one certainly hurts, not just for Lakers fans but also for basketball lovers everywhere. Unfortunately, however, we have to accept the reality that LeBron James is a mortal and is showing signs of decline in his age-40 season.

It is still extremely impressive that LeBron James has played in every game so far this season and is averaging 35 minutes per game. He can still summon enough energy every once in a while and be one of the best players in the world, as he demonstrated against the Hawks on Friday, putting up a 39-point triple-double.

Unfortunately, however, those moments have been few and far between this season.

LeBron is driving less and going to the free-throw line less frequently than he ever has this season. He is overly reliant on outside shooting and fast breaks. As a result, he is down to 58.5% True Shooting for the season, one of the lowest marks of his career.

Combine that with his declining defensive effort and lack of consistency in getting back on transition, and James has been more a part of the problem than the solution so far.

Anthony Davis

On paper, Davis is having one of his best seasons statistically. He is playing over 35 minutes per game and averaging 27.4 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game while adding 1.2 steals and 1.9 blocks.

Yet, it's hard to argue that his on-court impact has been as good as it has been in previous years. His offensive production came at the expense of his defensive contributions as his lack of effort and intensity on that end were made obvious in recent games.

An NBA team with Davis as its defensive anchor shouldn't be the 26th-best defensive unit in the league. In his prime, Davis was able to drive defensively limited units to elite levels. At this stage of his career, he is struggling to do that. If the Lakers are going to be a relevant team this season, AD needs to rediscover his All-Defense level impact.