Thursday’s game against the Clippers wasn’t pretty for the Lakers to say the least. While the Lakers versus Clippers battle may night be a true rivalry, the meetings between the two LA teams come with bragging rights. The Clippers, led by Chris Paul, have found their answers and pinpointed their team’s identity down, where all of the players are on board with it. This has occurred within the last two seasons.
In the other locker room in the same building, the Lakers are still searching for their identity and chemistry as a team. This is necessary for a team to have true progress and true success, despite the crazy amount of talent that is wearing purple and gold this year. Whether it has been due to injuries or a reluctance by any player to fully commit, the Lakers simply have no identity, and with it being All-Star weekend, that is worrisome.
Steve Nash echoed this sentiment after last night’s loss, which he mentioned several times this season already.
“We’ve played well, won eight of 12, so it’s not to be forgotten,” said Steve Nash, who scored his 17,000th career point. “I wouldn’t say we have an identity yet. I wouldn’t say we’ve formed any kind of consistent understanding, so we’ve got work to do.”
Why is a team’s identity so essential to have? An identity allows the players to understand and commit to what they represent as a team. In times of despair or struggle, an identity is what the team holds on to in order to brave the storm and come back as a team. Without an identity, it is easy to get lost within yourself and play as an individual.
---- See Steve Nash through the years in photos! ----
To make a serious, late push for the playoffs when the team returns to action after the All-Star break, the Lakers must develop an identity as soon as possible, before time runs out.
