The LA Lakers' struggle hasn't ceased despite LeBron James' return to the court. The team lost to Orlando Magic on Monday, marking their third loss on the trot. It was the frailties in the defense that led to the eventual loss. With the team struggling on the defensive end, Skip Bayless recalled how Lakers coach JJ Redick praised LeBron's defensive work earlier in the season, where he claimed that the LBJ was playing “First Team All-Defense defense”.
Skip Bayless On Lakers' Defense
However, it hasn't been the case since LeBron James' return.
“I love to watch this team play because I love to watch the combined genius of two of the greatest passers ever as passing partners, taking basketball to a level we’ve never seen two players, a dynamic duo, take it to on offense,” Bayless said. “But obviously if you combine that with LeBron playing ‘First-Team All-Defense defense’, you got something.”
Bayless stated that if that were the case for the Lakers, they would have a shot to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are wreaking havoc on the rest of the Western Conference. Unlike the veteran-laden Lakers, the emerging Thunder have refused to let up this season. He first stated that he was "shell-shocked" and "dumbfounded" by their performance against the Bulls, having predicted that the Lakers were beginning to appear "legit on both ends of the court."
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Bayless Highlights How the Lakers Let It Slip
Bayless thought LeBron and Luka Doncic had played "very well on offense" and had no complaints about their performances. However, the collapse that the Lakers endured in the third after holding a two-point lead at halftime and seeming set to record a "blowout" left Bayless upset because they "took the foot off [the] gas".
“Here came the Magic in the third quarter. The Magic outscored the Lakers 34 to 15,” Bayless continued. “That’s not championship stuff, that’s not championship mettle, that’s not championship caliber. That’s no threat to Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City never does that.”
Bayless believes L.A.'s performance in their last two games is a terrible omen for the season's final weeks. The 73-year-old questioned where LeBron's aggressive defense has been since his return, echoing Redick's outspoken statement once more.
“We’re almost to April. What happened to LeBron ‘The First-Team All-Defense’ playing anchor?” Bayless asked. “That’s what JJ said, ‘He’s the anchor of our defense.’ Well, this anchor went to the bottom of the lake in Orlando. DisneyWorld. My God!”