The three biggest reasons LeBron and the Lakers are flailing in the West

The cramped visitors locker room astatine Kaseya Center felt other crowded past week aft the Los Angeles Lakers' 41-point shellacking astatine the hands of the Miami Heat.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis were assigned lockers crossed from each other, leaving a mates of twelve reporters to battalion the abstraction successful betwixt them, waiting for the stars to explicate really their defense could beryllium truthful thoroughly decimated by the Heat.

James said first. "We sewage to fig it out," he said aft L.A. mislaid for the sixth clip successful 8 games. "Because it's decidedly embarrassing, for sure."

Miami changeable 57.8% from the section and a volcanic 51.1% connected 3-pointers -- tying a franchise grounds for 3s successful a regular-season crippled pinch 24 while pouring 134 points connected the Lakers -- tied for the astir L.A. has allowed nether caller coach JJ Redick.

The Lakers bottomed retired successful the 3rd 4th erstwhile Tyler Herro single-handedly outscored them, hitting 7 consecutive 3s and starring Miami to triumph the play 36-20.

When asked what the Lakers did incorrect successful guarding Herro, James quipped: "Everything."

After James vanished answering questions, reporters pivoted to Davis, who put the onus connected himself aft scoring a season-low 8 points connected 3-of-14 shooting.

"I dislike losing," Davis said dejectedly. "The measurement we're losing, we're playing bad, blown out. I'm not playing good individually. It's an accumulation of things and it's frustrating."

Davis took accountability, but moreover had he made the 11 different shots he attempted that nighttime successful Miami, L.A. still would person mislaid by double digits.

A 4th of the measurement done the season, the Lakers are 13-11 and person issues that Davis can't hole individually.

With James starting to show his age, L.A.'s defense continuing to beryllium exposed successful aggregate facets and moreover the usually headstrong Redick admitting, "We're each trying to find it," aft the nonaccomplishment to Miami, location is mounting grounds that this play could spell sideways without a important shakeup.

With Redick taking advantage of a break successful the schedule to springiness his squad clip to reset this week up of Friday's crippled connected the roadworthy against the Minnesota Timberwolves, here's a look astatine what's plaguing L.A. -- and what tin beryllium done to hole it.

Porous defense

"They weren't moreover trying," 1 Western Conference scout, who reviewed movie from the L.A.-Miami game, told ESPN of the Lakers.

"The Lakers play pinch zero physicality," he said. "It's easy to get modulation baskets. It's easy to people via pick-and-rolls. It's easy to station up and trim for easy baskets. Everything is conscionable easy."

The numbers backmost up that assessment. The Lakers person allowed opponents to sprout 63% connected layups and dunks successful the half tribunal this season, which is 4th worst successful the league. Part of the logic for that alarming percent is that the Lakers are allowing the third-highest changeable value connected those shots astatine the rim successful the half court, according to Second Spectrum, pinch only 64% of those point-blank attempts considered to beryllium heavy contested by L.A.'s defenders.

When asked astir L.A.'s pick-and-roll defense against Miami, and against the Wolves successful the crippled that preceded it erstwhile the Lakers mislaid by 29 points, Redick was nonstop arsenic he exhumed the defeats.

"Did not execute our switches, were not physical, did not communicate," Redick said Wednesday. "Communication was a large rumor successful Miami arsenic well, nary matter what we tried. Again, you can't play hoops and not talk. In position of method and schemes, if you don't talk, you're dead. In position of tweaking stuff, we've done it. We've done it successful coverage. We've done it pinch 1 done 5, and we've done it being physical. We've done it talking, truthful that's what we person to do. We tin make adjustments connected that. If you're not talking and you're not competing, you can't really make adjustments."

As unsmooth arsenic the half tribunal has been, the unfastened tribunal has been moreover worse. L.A. is 29th successful modulation defense, allowing 1.44 points per possession. The Lakers person besides had to take sides the sixth-most modulation possessions per crippled successful the convention this season.

Part of that problem tin beryllium linked to effort. They person had a man advantage erstwhile defending a modulation possession conscionable 44% of the clip this play -- the fifth-lowest complaint successful the convention -- meaning location aren't capable players wearing purple and golden sprinting backmost to protect their basket.

However, pinch mostly the aforesaid unit arsenic past season's squad that classed 17th successful defense, by allowing 114.8 points per 100 possessions, possibly L.A. ranking 26th and allowing 117.0 points per 100 possessions this play shouldn't beryllium truthful surprising.

"It's been absorbing to me, Darvin [Ham] took a batch of s--- past year," different Western Conference scout told ESPN. "I deliberation now you're seeing like, 'Oh, possibly it wasn't Darvin. Maybe it's the f---ing roster.'"

He is not the only personification among the half-dozen scouts, coaches and beforehand agency labor ESPN interviewed to propose that L.A. needs different players if it expects different results.

"They request to waste and acquisition for a bully point-of-attack defender that tin astatine slightest beryllium tin of knocking down unfastened shots," an Eastern Conference scout told ESPN. "They don't person galore perimeter defenders."

Added different Eastern Conference executive to ESPN: "I don't deliberation they person the unit to beryllium a bully protect team."

Though Jarred Vanderbilt's expected return adjacent period will springiness Redick a subordinate pinch a coagulated protect way grounds to adhd to the Lakers' rotation, Vanderbilt's violative limitations are besides good documented.

"Honestly, they request what everybody wants," 1 of the West scouts told ESPN. "It's that versatile helping defender that tin defender 2 done 4 and past tin make an unfastened 3. Your Mikal Bridges, your OG Anunoby, those type of players. And those guys, either: One, aren't available; aliases two, if they are available, they're not cheap, they're astatine a premium. Everybody successful the NBA wants guys for illustration that."

Not capable consistency from James and Davis, aliases players astir them

Part of L.A.'s descent has coincided pinch Austin Reaves snapping his individual robust man streak of 129 consecutive regular-season games played earlier missing the past 5 games because of a near pelvic injury.

Before going out, Reaves had averaged a career-best 16.7 points, adding 4.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game.

"AD and LeBron request consistency from the remainder of the group," the East exec said. "The only feline that they trust connected is Austin. He yet sewage to the constituent of not deferring to those guys. The remainder of the group should travel suit. Too galore guys don't cognize really to play pinch them because they consciousness for illustration they request to conscionable springiness AD and LeBron the shot and hold for a pass. They extremity up forcing shots late-clock because that is erstwhile they get the ball."

Another Eastern Conference beforehand agency personnel pointed to L.A.'s 2nd tier of domiciled players failing to make a difference. "Getting very small from Gabe Vincent, Cam Reddish, Christian Wood, Jaxson Hayes has been disappointing," he told ESPN. "One of those guys needs to play better."

Though a Lakers squad root told ESPN that 1 of L.A.'s strengths is that Reaves, D'Angelo Russell aliases rookie Dalton Knecht is tin of being the starring scorer immoderate crippled to return the load disconnected James and Davis, that's still a comparative rarity. In 24 games, Davis has been the starring scorer 12 times, James six times, Knecht 3 times, Reaves doubly and Russell once.

As acold arsenic a large 3 goes, the results person been a large negative. The Lakers person a minus-8.4 nett ratio successful the 383 minutes that Davis, James and Reaves person played together this season. That's the third-worst nett ratio among 73, three-player combinations to look connected the tribunal together for astatine slightest 350 minutes this season.

"If Austin Reaves is your third-best subordinate -- and I emotion Austin, I deliberation he's a very bully hoops subordinate -- but if he's your third-best player, you're not a title contender, you're conscionable not," 1 of the West scouts told ESPN. "If you put Austin Reaves connected the Oklahoma City Thunder aliases the Boston Celtics, he's astir apt the fifth-, possibly moreover sixth-best player, connected those rosters."

James has been mediocre by his standards

If you judge by plus-minus, James has not only ceded power of the squad to Davis and go the team's second-best subordinate successful his 22nd season, he has go the Lakers' worst player.

This season, the Lakers are minus-129 erstwhile James is connected the floor, by acold the worst connected the team. And the Lakers are plus-42 erstwhile he is disconnected the court.

James has utilized the disconnected week to "take immoderate time" distant from the squad for individual reasons, according to Redick. By sitting retired against Minnesota, he will get 8 days of remainder and curen connected his sore near foot, and only miss 2 games.

Though his wide accumulation -- he's averaging 23 points connected 49.5% shooting, 9.1 assists and 8.0 rebounds -- is unprecedented for a subordinate astatine this precocious shape of his career, his caller struggles anterior to the ft wounded are alarming.

His 66 turnovers complete the past 13 games are the astir he has had successful a 13-game agelong since signing pinch the Lakers successful 2018. And earlier he went 6-for-11 connected 3-pointers successful an overtime nonaccomplishment against the Atlanta Hawks (with 2 misses coming precocious successful the 4th successful an effort to crystal it and astatine the buzzer successful OT), James changeable 4-for-34 from heavy (11.8%) successful his 7 games anterior to that.

"He had that agelong wherever he looked astir apt arsenic quality arsenic he's ne'er looked successful his career," 1 of James' erstwhile adjunct coaches told ESPN. "It seems for illustration he's prolonged it much than anybody ever has, but astatine immoderate point, he's going to conscionable scope a constituent wherever he can't do it. And it seems for illustration that time is getting person and person now. I don't deliberation it's yet. I deliberation that was conscionable a unsmooth stretch, but I deliberation it is eye-opening to spot it like, 'Oh f---, he's not God.' He's, astatine immoderate point, going to not beryllium capable to do this anymore."

Though Miami's Erik Spoelstra suggested James' operation of size, spot and smarts would let him to support playing the crippled astatine a precocious level for different decade if he wanted to, immoderate of his effectiveness has intelligibly waned.

James has been disconnected not only from the outside. He's shooting 65% connected layups and dunks, his lowest successful a play since subordinate search began successful 2013-14, according to Second Spectrum. And his 62% people connected shots 8 feet from the handbasket is his lowest since his rookie play successful 2003-04.

"When he conscionable wasn't knocking down shots from the outside, and pinch him not being arsenic explosive arsenic he erstwhile was, he's going to struggle if he can't play pinch the threat of his shot," the East scout told ESPN.

One of the West scouts said it is Redick's work to prosecute James to effect winning, stats beryllium damned.

"They will spell obscurity if Redick and unit don't find a measurement to situation him beyond his historical numbers," the scout told ESPN. "The supporting formed is ever going to travel his lead. When they person these horrible games, it's a reflection of him being capable to cruise and still get awesome stats. They can't cruise."

Though James, on pinch Davis, shouldered the blasted successful Miami -- saying a clunker specified arsenic that has to autumn connected the players, and not the coaches -- a mates of nights later successful Atlanta, he pointed to a different logic for L.A.'s loss.

"We don't person overmuch room for error," James said, pointing to the "big pieces" L.A. was missing from the lineup successful Reaves, Vanderbilt, Hayes and Wood.

Of course, that reality of James missing the matchup against Minnesota, and moreover much games, unfeasible if L.A. hopes to win.

"Sure, it'd beryllium awesome to remainder your second-best subordinate who's 40 years old, but pinch the deficiency of talent and evidently besides the deficiency of health, it makes it incredibly difficult to beryllium personification for illustration that," 1 of the West scouts told ESPN.

"So I don't cognize what the correct reply is. Because astir apt yes, the correct point for LeBron is to return immoderate nights disconnected conscionable to remainder his assemblage and remainder his mind. But you tally the consequence of not being capable to triumph games conscionable pinch your talent deficiency."

Added the scout: "I deliberation that comes backmost to the roster rumor of he can't consistently do it complete an 82-game agelong astatine his age. And he needs thief ... and he doesn't person help."