LeBron James did not mince words regarding the state of the Lakers after his team’s loss to the Grizzlies on Friday night.
LA lost 127-113 at home, bringing their record to a disappointing 17-19 mark and handing them their 10th loss in 13 games.
‘We just suck right now,’ James told reporters after the game.
James finished the contest with an impressive 32 points, seven assists and five rebounds, while Anthony Davis added 31 points and Austin Reaves had 19.
Jaren Jackson Jr. led Memphis with 31 points.
LeBron James is frustrated with the state of the Lakers after the team’s 10th loss in 13 games
He had an impressive individual performance vs. the Grizzlies but it wasn’t enough for the win
While the Lakers rallied to win the NBA’s In-Season Tournament last month, the team has spiraled since then.
And James doesn’t believe that the team’s triumph in Las Vegas necessarily means they are contenders to lift the NBA championship this summer.
‘That was just two games, though,’ James said. ‘That was a small sample. Everybody is getting so cracked up about Vegas, keep bringing up Vegas. It was two games. We took care of that business … but that was really just two games.’
Meanwhile, Lakers coach Darvin Ham was also frustrated after the loss to Memphis but insisted that the team’s detractors had too myopic of a perspective.
Lakers coach Darvin Ham is seen on the sideline during the Lakers’ loss to the Grizzlies
‘This is the NBA, man,’ Ham said. ‘This is a marathon. You have to look at the totality of the picture. I’m tired of people living and dying with every single game we play. It’s ludicrous, actually.
‘It’s like, ‘Come on, man. This is a marathon.’ We hit a tough stretch. It’s the same team. We played some high-level games a little while ago, and we’ve just got to get back to that. We’ve got to keep the fight, though. We cannot lose our fight.’
The Athletic previously reported that there was a ‘deepening disconnect‘ between Ham and the locker room, citing six unnamed sources.
The Lakers finished seventh in the Western Conference last season before making a run to the Western Conference finals.
