The Los Angeles Lakers have struggled to find their groove since action resumed in the NBA following the league’s All-Star Weekend.
After the break, LeBron James and company have gone just 1-3, entering Saturday on a three-game losing skid, with each loss seemingly more infuriating than the last.
While many will find it easy to lay the blame for the Lakers’ struggles on head coach JJ Redick, former NBA forward Udonis Haslem believes it’s on the players.
“What the hell are you doing? What the hell is going on? This is not on JJ. This is on the players,” the Amazon Prime Video analyst Haslem said on Saturday about Los Angeles’ recent troubles on the court.
Haslem then went on to call out superstars Luka Doncic and LeBron James over their late-game blunders.
“Your two main guys [are] making mistakes down the stretch. That can’t happen if you want to be a championship team.”
Udonis Haslem calls out the Lakers:
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) February 28, 2026
"What the hell are you doing? What the hell is going on? This is not on JJ. This is on the players… Your two main guys making mistakes down the stretch, that can't happen if you want to be a championship team" pic.twitter.com/hlX4tQUPZ8
After getting thumped by the Boston Celtics at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Calif., via a 111-89 score on Sunday, the Lakers suffered consecutive close losses to the Orlando Magic and Phoenix Suns by a combined margin of just four points.
In the 110-109 home loss to Orlando on Tuesday, Doncic decided not to pull the trigger on what appeared to be a wide-open shot in the waning seconds of the contest.
On Friday at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, Ariz., the Lakers went down to the wire again, suffering a 113-110 defeat, as they got burned in the clutch by a Royce O’Neale 3-pointer, in part because of James’ poor defensive rotation.
Los Angeles will look to turn things around Sunday against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif.
