The LA Lakers are down for real! Importantly, the team quite couldn’t catch a break, as they encountered setbacks after setbacks. For now, they have to deal with the big man problem. The 24-year-old Jaxson Hayes, who missed 6 games in a row with an ankle injury, has found himself in the same trouble just one game after his return. And, heading into the OKC Thunder challenge, coach JJ Redick dropped a crucial update regarding the number 5, leaving Anthony Davis completely hanging.

It’s a consuming debate, stuck on repeat like a broken record. AD needs help near the rim and the Lakers have successfully managed to fail to take the load off him for over four seasons. Currently, the team has only two true bigs, Haynes and Christian Koloko. While Koloko hasn’t quite gained the coach’s trust to get the big minutes, the team relied on Hayes for the assist. However, the team seemed to have mismanaged the young center’s ankle injury.

After the two-week injury absence, the team seemed to have brought him into the squad before he had achieved full fitness. And now, they are paying the price. JJ Redick announced that Jaxson Hayes was doubtful for the Friday game, citing that he was getting his imaging done on his right ankle. Moments before the game, the team ruled him out. Guess what? Anthony Davis has to bear the entire load at the rim now.

It’s also important to notice that AD is naturally a powerful defender for the Lakers. The thumping rejections near the rim are a sound example. However, in the last few games, the superstar’s defense seemed to have slipped down, keeping up with Redick’s fresh schemes. Moreover, The Brow himself addressed the team’s lack of coordination on the defensive end, and that eventually cost them games.

The Brow gives defensive advice amid JJ Redick’s tough run

JJ Redick soared through when the Lakers produced a 6-game winning streak. Following that, the team found themselves in all sorts of embarrassment from blowing the lead to losing back-to-back games with big margins. Especially, in the games against the Nuggets and Suns, the team held a decent lead in the first half. And, magically, the team looked lost in the second half, letting the opponents collect buckets for fun.

While it initially looked like the team lacked offensively, later everyone realized that the team wasn’t effective defensively. Speaking after the Suns’ loss, Anthony Davis had a message to the bench. He said, “Pride. Communication. A big part of it just communicating. Covering for one another, trusting each other. We all try to do the right thing with the lack of communication that goes on… I think we just pick up our communication and we’ll be fine on the defensive end.”

Well, Coach Redick now has to facilitate a platform to improve coordination within the defensive unit. Nevertheless, the result against the Thunder matchup will reveal whether the team has improved or not. What do you think? Let us know in the comments.