The Lakers Unveil a New LeBron-Inspired Hands-On Help Defense

The Los Angeles Lakers currently find themselves in a precarious position.

Well, let's not mince words.

They're doomed.

Due in no small part to LeBron James finding a groin injury in his stocking on Christmas Day, the Lakers have been in a free fall for the past two-plus months.

They'll literally need a Christmas miracle at this point to qualify for the post-season in the death struggle that is the NBA Western Conference.

 

Of course, when Bron Bron returned from the injury around five weeks ago, many assumed that he could just flip the switch and drag this mismatched roster to the promised land.

But alas, it was not to be.

 

Obviously, the King hasn't actually blown anything, as he's still putting up silly numbers at the ripe old age of 34.

However, this lost season does seem to be breaking his spirit a bit, particularly on the defensive end of the floor.

 

Indeed, that was Kyle Kuzma shoving the 250lb James into a close-out to contest a wide open three.

Really, this isn't so much a lack of effort as a lack of interest, with the King sorta wandering around in the lane just long enough to interfere with Kuzma's defensive assignment.

Incredibly, this will likely be the first time in 14 years that he misses the playoffs, which is quite the stat.

While this is sad in and of itself, there's also the possibility that we won't see too many more of these bad boys.

 

The industry term would be hustle play.