Report: Opposing scouts saw Lakers players ignoring coaches’ instructions during season

By Jonathan Sherman
Updated: April 9, 2022

The simple truth is that the 2021-22 NBA season has been a major embarrassment for the Los Angeles Lakers.

After enjoying an exciting offseason last summer, the team seemed poised to make another run at an NBA title. What’s occurred instead has been a season full of drama, rumors and, most importantly, lots of losing on the court.

There were a number of things that went wrong that contributed to the failure that the season has become, and it seems that one of those factors was a simple lack of hierarchy and command coming from the team’s coaching staff.

In fact, a recent report indicates that opposing scouts saw Lakers players ignoring instructions from their coaches.

“Nothing ever felt settled, the ground underneath the team’s feet constantly shifting in an effort to find the right move that would save them,” wrote Dan Woike and Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. “Opposing scouts said they saw Lakers players ignoring their coaches’ instruction.”

This is not the first time that players in the NBA have apparently ignored coaches, and it certainly won’t be the last. Still, it is disappointing to learn that this kind of poor sportsmanship apparently took place on the Lakers this season.

As a result of this report, there is no doubt that fingers will be pointed at certain players. It seems as though some culprits have already been identified regarding who was leading the charge in culture problems on the Lakers this season.

Ultimately, what matters most is that when the 2022 NBA Playoffs begin later this month, the Lakers will be watching from home. Surely, the fact that L.A.’s coaching staff seemingly had trouble earning the respect of certain players on the roster played a role in the team’s colossal failure.