The Lakers are currently on an eight game losing streak to bring them to a 10-18 record. The start of the season was much better than I, and many other Lakers fans, had expected. One rough patch shouldn’t be too much cause for concern. This team is still young and they haven’t had much time to play together. Sure, a handful of the guys were on the team last year, but they weren’t playing remotely close to how they are now. So to answer the question, we don’t need to worry for a while.
I’m choosing to think of this season as a test run. Luke Walton came in as coach and he’s already done an outstanding job, but he can’t play the game for these players. He can only show them how best to play it. Defense is what’s been lacking as of late, not to mention that the team has been suffering from injuries here and there. That’s bound to happen to pretty much every team in any given season, so it’s not a huge deal, especially since most are fairly minor injuries.
While the defense hasn’t been great, the team has done a decent job with scoring. Some games have been blowouts, but others have been close. Should they have pulled out wins for those close games? Absolutely. But losses are going to happen and at the moment we just have to hope the team learns from them. When you watch a game, it’s hands down a game of scoring streaks. Basketball fans know this, so it’s no different when it comes to the wins and losses themselves.
Streaks happen; this one just isn’t in the direction Lakers fans were hoping for. Plus, it’s only December. I previously predicted that the team will hit 17 wins in January, and I still hope they make that happen.
If the Lakers continue the losing streak, it will be a major learning experience for them. They are in the 11th seed right now. They have the right attitude and the right group of guys to keep the energy up. It’s not ideal, but they’re still exceeding expectations.
Besides, this group is fun to watch regardless of the outcome of the games. We’re finally back to some good ol’ Lakers basketball. Keep in mind that they actually aren’t too far back from that 8th seed. There’s still a chance they could turn it around soon and make a run for the playoffs this year.
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