Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy recently delivered a blast to the team’s critics, and LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Dwight Howard all responded positively to Handy’s message.
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With the All-Star break coming up next week, the struggling Lakers continue to grind through a disappointing campaign. They currently have a 26-30 record and have dropped 11 of their last 16 contests.
The Lakers’ struggles have been strongly linked to different injuries suffered by both Davis and James.
The addition of veteran guard Russell Westbrook has also thus far been a problem. The concerns about Westbrook’s fit are big enough that he was constantly mentioned in trade rumors up until the trade deadline on Thursday.
The Lakers captured the 2019-20 NBA title, with Davis and James playing key roles in that championship run. Last season’s effort at repeating was also sidetracked by injuries, with the Lakers thriving until those problems surfaced.
Handy’s attempt at motivating the Lakers isn’t the first time the seasoned coach has made an effort to light a fire under players.
In 2016, while serving as an assistant coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Handy offered some coaching wisdom during that year’s finals.
James was part of that Cavaliers team that used Handy’s inspiration to come back from a 3-1 deficit against the Golden State Warriors and win the franchise’s first NBA title.
Whether or not James, Davis and the rest of the Lakers can follow that same path remains to be seen. The team’s first chance to see if Handy’s words are effective will come on Saturday when it faces those same Warriors.
