Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James offered his take on the criticism that Lakers head coach Frank Vogel has received for the team’s poor start to the 2021-22 season.
The Lakers are 12-12 through their first 24 games, but it is worth noting that James himself has missed half of those contests. Still, the four-time champion acknowledged that the criticism of Vogel “comes with the job.”
Also on Frank Vogel, LeBron says that the criticism he’s been receiving “comes with the job,” but the players need to be better on the floor.
— Lakers Nation (@LakersNation) December 6, 2021
James and the Lakers are going to need to start playing better this season if they want to break out of their slow start.
James himself has been solid when he’s been in the lineup, as he is averaging 25.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game while shooting 47.5 percent from the field and 33.7 percent from beyond the arc.
Still, with James missing so many games, Vogel has been forced to piece together the rotation on a night-by-night basis.
Other members of the Lakers have yet to get healthy this season as well. Kendrick Nunn has yet to make his debut for the team and Trevor Ariza is still working his way back from ankle surgery.
Vogel deserves some blame for the team’s poor start, as it lost a pair of games to the lowly Oklahoma City Thunder early in the season, but it’s hard to say that he’s done a poor job in Los Angeles.
The Lakers won the NBA title in the 2019-20 campaign and still made the playoffs last season despite injuries to both James and Anthony Davis.
However, if Los Angeles continues at this pace even with James back, Vogel could find himself on the hot seat throughout the season.
