“Lakers earned this lost. AWFUL” Shannon Sharpe joined other NBA enthusiasts in not holding back amid LeBron James and co.’s recent performance. The Los Angeles Lakers were probably already on thin ice, amongst their fans after losing 6 of their last 8 games, and 2 consecutively. Therefore, it didn’t help when the team recorded yet another loss a few hours ago! Not just against any rival franchise, but the Atlanta Hawks, the same one against whom the Lakers had boasted a 7-3 win record. The blame game had passed on during the previous loss, but the same does not seem to have converted to anything. In light of this, it didn’t take long for the criticism to start flying in from all sides.
Shannon Sharpe continued his critique by posting on X. The former NFL star took a shot at the defense by writing “Vincent, where were you going? AD had Hunter covered no need 4 you 2 drop that far dwn. FCK.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
You’ve got 2 be fcking kidding me. We’ve got the 🏀. Allowed Hawks 2 tie them up, win jump ball. Then knock the ball outta bounds. Lakers earned this lost. AWFUL
— shannon sharpe (@ShannonSharpe) December 7, 2024
This was a reference to the lapse that took place when Gabe Vincent attempted to defend against the Hawks. Whether it was a mistake in communication or some other confusion, Trae Young found himself wide open to make a 3-pointer. The shot allowed the Hawks to take the lead and eventually cost the Lakers the game by a close 134-132 margin. Even LeBron James displayed the disappointed dad look on his face after the mistake.
Anthony Davis and Gabe Vincent’s mistake, combined with the fact that the Lakers are in a deeper hole now, did not leave Shannon Sharpe alone in passing out criticism for long.
How did NBA Fans and analysts react to Gabe Vincent’s mistake and Lakers’ loss?
One social media user outright stated, “no way we’re blaming AD for this??? gabe fcked up the defensive scheme two times before this too so stop it”.
no way we’re blaming AD for this??? gabe fcked up the defensive scheme two times before this too so stop it
— 𝙏𝙧𝙚𝙮 🥷🏾 🇵🇸 Lakers 12-11 (@iiTREYY) December 7, 2024
Ever since he was acquired by the Los Angeles Lakers back in 2023, Gabe Vincent kept faltering enough. HoopsHype reporter Michael Scotto viewed Vincent as a “negative asset” after he played in only 11 games during the 2023-24 season. Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus had ranked the point guard’s contract amongst those he believed teams would regret! If there was ever a time to provide some validity to the two reports, then it would be now. Right in the aftermath of the Lakers-Hawks game. After all, with 13 seconds on the clock, and the Lakers leading by 132-131, Vicent did not focus on guarding just one player and kept shifting between passes to give Young the open space he needed for the 3-pointer.
Renowned analyst Kevin O’Conner, who has been covering the NBA since 2013, did not hold back in his critique too. He kept things short, and still hurtful, by calling the game “Massive chokejob by the Lakers”.
Things hadn’t been well for the Lakers right from the early stages of the game. When it came to bench points accumulated as the game started to draw out, the Hawks led by 55-14! Anthony Davis’ pass to LeBron James during overtime was predictable enough for Dyson Daniels to steal it. With no defenders guarding him, Daniels hardly faced resistance when he initiated the move. Redick’s decision to move D’Angelo Russell to the bench, and start Gabe Vincent, seemed to have not worked out well. After all, along with faltering on defense, he only accumulated 12 points, 1 rebound, and 5 assists in 34 minutes. By adding all of this, the night was, without a doubt, a bad one for the LA franchise.
Clutch Points insider Anthony F. Irwin wrote “No idea how you don’t come up with the loose ball with three guys having angle advantage on that jump ball. Just a stupid team down the stretch.”
Another critique towards the miss by Gabe Vincent. While everyone else may be united in blaming the 28-year-old point guard, JJ Redick is not among them. Instead, the Lakers head coach discussed Vincent, during the post-game presser, by stating “It (was) just a, you know, normal red scenario like you would do a million times. End Game. Thought Gabe defensively was really good. I thought a lot of our guys really competed on that end”. Unfortunately, even if Gabe Vincent was good on defense throughout the game, most of the viewers will probably only remember Trae Young being left open.
Amid the criticism, a few people wanted to ensure that other star players do not receive blame for the loss. Possibly bearing this in mind, one social media user wrote, “I also don’t want to hear anything about this being on LeBron or AD because tonight they pulled their weight and despite not being (100% emoji) played extremely well. #Lakeshow”.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Amidst the Lakers’ poor run, quite a few reports also indicated LeBron James not performing at his best. In fact, ‘The Athletic’s Jovan Buha wrote that LeBron had been experiencing one of the worst slumps of his career. After all, he averaged only 39.8 percent overall on the shooting front. That was accompanied by 10 percent on 3s (3-of-30), during the previous bunch of games. However, LeBron James may have looked to possibly shut down all critics recently. After all, he recorded a triple-double during the Hawks-Lakers game by scoring 39 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists. Meanwhile, after making only 8 points in the previous game, Anthony Davis made amends by scoring 38 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists.
Another individual followed the same path of praising LeBron James and Anthony Davis while taking a dig at the other players. Raj Chipalu, a Clutch Points writer with a fair following, wrote “LeBron & AD were great. This defense is just not sustainable to win anything. 69 points at the half to Miami. 64 at the half to Atlanta. Trying to outscore the other team every night is absolute hell.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Stats say everything for themselves. Therefore, nothing more needs to be said to prove that the Lakers may have a defensive problem.
Overall, the majority of reactions were united in handing down criticism towards the Los Angeles Lakers squad. While some defended LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Gabe Vincent hardly had anyone to save him. If the team continues at this current pace, it will become difficult for them to bounce back once the playoffs come nearer. Therefore, there is no better time for them to improve than now.
Have something to say?
Let the world know your perspective.
Debate
Is Gabe Vincent solely to blame for the Lakers' loss, or is it a team failure?
What’s your perspective on:
Is Gabe Vincent solely to blame for the Lakers' loss, or is it a team failure?
Have an interesting take?