Calling out James publicly! Chaos ensues, the Lakers are completely in disarray.

“Since James came back, the Lakers occasionally struggle with offensive organization.”

Who would be so audacious? It’s truly astonishing.

It turned out to be Lakers coach Reddick in a public interview, though he admitted that the problems mentioned were his responsibility.

Wade scoffed at Reddick’s remarks on a podcast, stating that his close friend James is out practicing golf and couldn’t care less about such criticisms.

To be fair, Reddick might not have meant harm, but naming names like this inevitably draws criticism toward James and could create a rift between the two; discord between coach and star player is a serious issue.

Notably, after the Lakers’ 96-119 loss to the Rockets on Christmas,Reddick harshly criticized the team for not having established an effective winning culture, saying too often some players are unwilling to make the right choices, and it’s always those same players resisting change.

Is this when he chooses not to name names to save face? Or are those players exactly who we suspect...

The Lakers are not in a good place right now; since the start of this month, they’ve lost more than they’ve won, dropping from second place in the West to fifth, only 0.5 games ahead of sixth-place Timberwolves and two games ahead of seventh-place Suns. Additionally, Reeves suffered a grade 2 calf strain in his left leg and will be out for about four weeks.

Currently, the Lakers struggle both offensively and defensively, scoring under 100 points in two of their last three games and ranking last in defensive efficiency over the past ten games. It’s no wonder they have been thoroughly outplayed recently, leaving fans frustrated.

The biggest issue is defense, especially since several key Lakers players are offensively strong but defensively weak. Doncic has a defensive efficiency of 118.4 (ranked 248th in the league), Reeves 114.7 (173rd), and James 121.9, among others. Expecting them to improve defensively is unrealistic; targeted reinforcements in the upcoming trade market are necessary.

Winning solves everything; losing causes morale to collapse and internal breakdowns.

This is the nature of competitive sports, so internal conflicts within the Lakers at this stage are not surprising.

The Purple and Gold have a long and challenging road ahead on their quest for the championship.