LeBron James paired his blunt assessment of his team with a cryptic tweet following back-to-back 16-point losses on the road.
After a 135-119 loss to the Houston Rockets on Monday, the Lakers got picked apart by Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks, 138-122. With the losses putting the Lakers under .500, James did not hold back about the state of the team.
‘We could, on any given night, beat any team in the NBA,’ James said. ‘And then on any given night we could get our ass kicked by any team in the NBA.’
‘That’s just the … What’s our record? Under .500? 24-25? That’s what we are.’
Early the following morning, James tweeted an hourglass emoji, which many took as a signal for the organization to act with urgency.
LeBron James sounded off on the state of the Lakers after back-to-back 16-point losses.
LeBron James on the 24-25 Lakers: “We could on any given night beat any team in the NBA. And then on any given night we could get our ass kicked” pic.twitter.com/IlKra5XAmy
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) January 31, 2024
Hours after losing to the Atlanta Hawks, 138-122, James posted a cryptic hourglass emoji on X.
Meanwhile, other X users suggested that the four-time champion is running out of patience with Lakers coach Darvin Ham- who has taken much of the blame for their struggles.
Another interpretation linked the tweet with the upcoming trade deadline on February 8. Nearly halfway through the season, the Lakers’ lack of depth has been a glaring issue with star center Anthony Davis routinely dealing with injuries.
While Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell have been noteworthy this season, Los Angeles lacks a proper second unit that can hold the fort in their absence.
‘I don’t have any message for my teammates,’ James said, per ESPN. ‘Just go out and do your job.’
The losses have dropped the Lakers to under .500, they are 24-25 sitting ninth in the west.
James is averaging 24.9 points, 7.5 boards and 7.7 assists while playing roughly 34.7 minutes.
In his 20th season in the NBA, James is averaging 24.9 points, 7.5 boards and 7.7 assists while playing roughly 34.7 minutes per game. He scored a total of 43 points, 17 rebounds and 18 assists in their losing efforts to Atlanta and Houston.
After getting to the Western Conference Finals last season, the Lakers find themselves in a limbo with a 24-25 record. They now sit ninth in the highly-competitive west after entering as viable contenders.
Things only get challenging from here as the Lakers take on the Celtics, Knicks and Nuggets all within an eight-day span.
