The Lakers’ 2023-24 season has been a mixed bag so far, with their performance fluctuating at the start of the season. However, ever since they won the inaugural In-Season Tournament, they have been facing more challenges.
Their big man Anthony Davis who has been playing with an injury, shed some light on the poor performance of his team. Austin Reaves also participated in the conversation to share his thoughts about what might be going wrong.
Anthony Davis talks on Lakers defensive struggles
The big man of the Lakers shared his thoughts on his team’s defensive struggles in a post-game interview after suffering a loss against the New Orleans Pelicans. Davis talked about how the injuries are the main reason that has been dragging the Lakers behind.
“Our biggest downfall this season has been our inability to stay healthy. We already missing Cam (Reddish) and D’lo (D’Angelo Russell), and then Rui (Hachimura) goes down. Now the rotation is smaller, we lose another body for scoring,” said Davis, highlighting the injury issue.
Later on, Anthony also mentioned the communication problems during a match that led to mishaps for them. He said, “I think as for our defensive, our communication needs to get much better. You know we talk about something then go out and do not do it. It’s a lot of you’re supposed to do this but the guy did this. They are trying to do the right thing but it’s not the right thing. Those are the little details that can win or lose you a basketball game.”
The big man also discussed the upcoming home game lineup for the Lakers, expressing his belief that they have been a strong home team. He believes they can beat the best teams and compete with them, but they just need to stay healthy.
Austin Reaves sheds light on Lakers poor performances
Lakers’ young star Austin Reaves talked about the poor performance and the struggles of his team after they were handed a loss by the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday. Reaves talked about the injury plague his team is going through and also highlighted the importance of competitiveness.
“I am a super competitor, It does not matter what it is we could go play golf or basketball, or we could play baseball. I want to wanna win and that’s the main goal at the end of the day. Wins and losses are why you play the game, to win. As a team, I believe that is our goal, to win,” Austin said.
He further added, “Since the In-Season Tournament we have been struggling with health, injuries, and sickness. We kinda had a bad fortune in that department but it happens to everybody. We have to look in the mirror and see what we can do better, what I can do to be better and just get better.”
Reaves also thinks that the Lakers haven’t done enough to win games and have to improve more. He looked a bit irritated during the post-game interview while talking about the struggles. His behavior adds more belief in the rumor that things are not well between him and head coach Darwin Ham.
What do you think of Anthony Davis’ statements about the struggles of his team? Do you agree with Austin Reaves on his belief that the Lakers haven’t done much to win? We are eager to know your thoughts, so drop down in the comments and let us know.
