The Los Angeles Lakers are off to a 2-2 start this season.
Sports media pundit Skip Bayless was highly critical of the Lakers after their loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night.
"The Lakers are not as good as they were last year. Who is the closer for this team? I don't see one."@RealSkipBayless reacts to Lakers' loss to Portland pic.twitter.com/gRK0wkXT7T
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) December 29, 2020
“Your team is not as good as it was last year,” Bayless told Shannon Sharpe referring to the Lakers. “The league gave you an opening gift. A welcome back gift. You had to come back early. They gave you four home games to start, and you went 2-2 in those home games.”
The Lakers have picked up wins against the Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves this season. However, they’ve lost to ambitious Western Conference contenders in the Los Angeles Clippers and Blazers.
Of course, the Lakers are still acclimating a bunch of their new acquisitions.
Bayless, though, believes the Lakers didn’t solve a crucial pain point in the offseason, which is having a specific closer.
“We’re back to the issue that you had last year, and you got away with it because it didn’t confront you enough,” Bayless said. “That is, who is the closer for this team because I don’t see a closer.”
While four-time MVP LeBron James is considered the team’s star closer, the veteran wasn’t showed love though as a clutch player in a recent general manger survey.
The superstar is averaging 22.8 points, 7.5 boards and 6.5 assists per game this season.
The Lakers take on the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night.
