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Shannon Sharpe has blasted the LA Lakers for their blowout loss to the Chicago Bulls.
The LA Lakers have had the worst possible start for a team with championship aspirations, losing seven out of their opening fifteen games. The Lakers were blown off the court by the Bulls, who dominated from the jump at both ends.
The Lakers' third-quarter woes continued as they were outscored 37-25 by Chicago. They also a shot a dismal 18.2% from the perimeter, which contributed significantly to their loss. Russell Westbrook was yet again inefficient, despite scoring 25 points.
Television personality and NFL Hall-of-Famer Shannon Sharpe has lambasted the Lakers. He called them a 'bad team' after their abysmal performance, especially for their inability to defend and stop conceding turnovers. Here's what he said in an appearance on FS1's Skip and Shannon: Undisputed:
"I didn't expect them to win. I think my greatest disappointment was how bad they looked in defeat... They are just a bad basketball team at the moment... LeBron is going to be back, I think at some point in time, maybe some time toward the middle of the week, and that can't come soon enough. But, I don't know! Because they won't defend, they won't stop turning the ball over... They are not good Skip."
Shannon Sharpe brought up two key points that could make or break the Lakers this season - defense and turnovers. Unfortunately, both those aspects are mainly attributed to Russell Westbrook's presence on the court. Westbrook has to pick up his game for the Lakers to do better.
How can the LA Lakers become a championship-caliber team heading into the postseason?
The LA Lakers have been atrocious, starting the season with an 8-7 record and looking nowhere close to a championship-caliber team. The Lakers, on paper, have a roster capable of blowing teams out, despite being plagued by injuries to key players.
The Lakers prioritized offense in the offseason. They sacrificed key defensive pieces such as Alex Caruso, Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Markieff Morris to get superior offensive weapons like Malik Monk and Wayne Ellington, who aren't known for their defensive prowess.
The move to bring in Russell Westbrook hasn't seemingly paid off yet. His defensive inefficiencies, coupled with the team's lack of skill to mask them means the Lakers have one of the worst defensive ratings since head coach Frank Vogel took over. Westbrook and the Lakers will have to step up at that end if they are to have any chance of doing well in the playoffs, let alone winning a championship.
Their third-quarter woes and turnovers begin with their lack of defensive effort. The Lakers have made a name for themselves in the past few seasons of being elite in transition.
That starts with getting defensive stops, which will then allow them to get better looks in offense. Getting Trevor Ariza and Kendrick Nunn back should go a long way in helping them at the defensive end. But they will have to step up and put in a collective effort to beat the likes of the red-hot Golden State Warriors.
