Stephen A. Smith believes LeBron James will have to shut it down in April because the LA Lakers will not make it out of the play-in tournament: "It’s not like there’s any risk of this Lakers team playing in June"

LeBron James and the LA Lakers suffered one of their worst losses of the season against the Houston Rockets, piling on a stack of problems they already have. From Russell Westbrook’s poor season to Anthony Davis' recurring injuries, the Lakers’ season has gone in the wrong direction.

The loss against the Rockets was their 37th, putting the Lakers (28-37) in a tough spot before the regular season wraps up. Their last 17 games of the season include two matchups each against the Denver Nuggets (40-27) and Phoenix Suns (53-13) – among a few more difficult opponents.

Stephen A. Smith reacted to the Lakers’ loss in surprise as the star-studded team fell to a young Houston Rockets team on Wednesday. Smith said:

“The Los Angeles Lakers, a team littered with future Hall of Famers, could not fend off the worst team in the Western Conference Wednesday night and fell to 28 and 37 on the season. The Lakers have won just two of their last 11 games. It’s so bad, there’s talk of LeBron James shutting it down early.”

James, at age 37, has had an exceptional season – averaging 29.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 6.3 assists in 47 games. He has scored 30 points or more in more than half of the games, pretty much taking up the team’s offensive duties. But there are still some glaring discrepancies in his game that include poor free-throw shooting and a lack of defensive effort.

Amid the challenges the Lakers are facing, Smith weighed in on James shutting down early for the season:

“Let me break some news for you, right here on Stephen A’s world, right now – LeBron James is going to shut it down early. LeBron James is going to end his season the second week of April, when the Lakers get bounced out of the play-in tournament.

“It’s not like there’s any risk of this Lakers team playing in June, y’all. But LeBron shutting it down before the end of the regular season? Oh, hell to the no. Because LeBron James has to go down with this ship. He built the damn ship.”

Is LeBron James' roster construction the reason for the Lakers' troubles?

Many feel the Lakers’ problems are due to a failed experiment of bringing Russell Westbrook onto the roster, a move that was orchestrated by LeBron James. And to make matters even more complicated, the roster is filled with a bunch of older players – making the team weak defensively.

The Lakers had a chance to sign DeMar DeRozan, who is having a breakout season with the Chicago Bulls. They even had a chance to sign Buddy Hield but ended up going with Westbrook, who has struggled.

As a team, the Lakers have looked out of sync and with no news on Anthony Davis’ return. Even holding on to a play-In tournament spot will not be easy. James and the Lakers have a very small margin of error and very limited time on hand to make things work.