The Los Angeles Lakers may have escaped the Phoenix Suns by the skin of their teeth, 100-95, at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday, October 26, in what some branded as an ugly win.
As before, it took LeBron James to bail out the Lakers over an already undermanned Phoenix Suns. Devin Booker and Bradley Beal did not play due to injury, USA Today reported.
LeBron James knives through defense to give the Lakers the lead late in the 4th 😲 pic.twitter.com/6Z8PRoh74N
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 27, 2023
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While James continues to show he can be a force to reckon with, it does not speak well for the Lakers. The fact that they took in a lot of young and talented players to support James and Anthony Davis is a point of contention.
Of the new players the Lakers acquired since the February trade deadline, only the returning D'Angelo Russell had a credible showing with 14 points, five rebounds, and four assists.
The others, such as Gabe Vincent, Rui Hachimura, and Christian Wood, managed to chip in only 7 points, while Taurean Prince had no credible production after an excellent first game against the Denver Nuggets.
However, Wood did his share on the defensive end to help the Lakers clamp down on the Suns.
Craziest stat of the game:
— NBALakersReport (@NBALakersReport) October 27, 2023
Christian Wood led the Lakers with +23 when he was on the court 🤯
HOLLYWOOD 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/zHSZGNzsNc
Darvin Ham in the hot seat
While having LeBron James is a privilege, the Lakers cannot always rely on the four-time NBA champion. Anthony Davis did lead the team, but other players on the roster need to step up.
Although it is still early, Lakers coach Darvin Ham must make the necessary adjustments as the season progresses. This early, Ham appears to be planning to manage the minutes of James - something the 19-time All-Star does not appear to be aligned with, SI.com reported.
Unless the Lakers can prove they can win games without James, the investment in young talent will go to waste. It will not be easy, but Los Angeles needs to deal with the fact that LeBron will not always be there to save the day.
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