The Lakers clearly woke up on the wrong side of the bed yesterday. They wanted to start the year right in an effort to turn around a mediocre season. They finished 2023 with a 17-17 slate and barely in possession of a play-in slot, and they figured the series of five home games before them would get them on the right track to meet preseason expectations. Instead, they proved listless against the Heat from the get-go. That they ended the first quarter just seven points down was actually a minor miracle considering that they committed 10 — yes, 10 — turnovers and evidently couldn’t buy a bucket.
The Lakers would hang on until the final minutes of the match, no small feat given their continued poor shooting and ball protection. Nonetheless, they competed like weary travelers in the desert, seemingly near water and then finding out that what they saw was a mirage. They had lead feet on both ends of the court, and, outside of Anthony Davis, no one came close to potential. Even LeBron James, supposedly a picture of consistency through his 21-year career, appeared mentally checked out; he wound up with an anemic 12 points off a six-of-18 clip and a game-worst minus-20 net rating.
True, the outcome isn’t all on James. In fact, there is ample reason to point fingers elsewhere for the Lakers’ pathetic showing. Head coach Darvin Ham had no answer for the Heat’s zone defense, and his substitution patterns had even diehard fans looking at each other in askance. Taurean Prince produced as much as Gabe Vincent in 29 minutes of action, which says a lot since the latter is on the injury list. Cam Reddish likewise laid a big fat egg after burning rubber for 19 minutes. And nothing exemplified the woes of the purple and gold more than the stat line of rookie Jalen Hood-Schifino: zero markers on zero-of-six shooting from the field. Meanwhile, Jaime Jacques, Jr., the hometown hero drafted right after him by the Heat, put up a heady 16 (on 50% shooting), eight, one, and one, as well as a match-best plus-24 in 39 minutes.
It’s fair to argue that the Lakers have been handicapped by the absence of vital cogs for much of their 2023-24 campaign. That said, it’s also a testament to their inability to harbor a next-man-up mentality — like, say, the Heat, who didn’t have Jimmy Butler and Caleb Martin in uniform yesterday and still won pulling away. Clearly, they lack the identity that enables bona fide contenders to deal with unforeseen adversity. In their case, even long-standing issues remain unsolved.
In large measure, it’s because of their illogical stubbornness. They’re keen on doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result, one that won’t be reflected anytime soon.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
