With more than half of the 2021-22 season in the books, the Los Angeles Lakers find themselves struggling to find any consistency on the court.
After reeling off a four-game winning streak, the Lakers have come back down to Earth and are once again facing questions as to whether or not they can be a championship contender. Making matters worse, Los Angeles’ schedule is one of the most difficult ones in the second half of the season which means they can not afford any more poor stretches.
Head coach Frank Vogel has stayed positive despite the team’s shortcomings and admitted that things have not been easy with injuries to key players.
“We’ve had an up-and-down first half of the season, for sure,” Vogel said before Saturday’s loss to the Denver Nuggets. “A lot of different guys being in and out and because of that, the shape of our identity has changed several times throughout the course of the year.
“So the first half has been about learning our group and trying to get as many wins as we can along the way and we certainly want to be better in the second half.”
Anthony Davis has missed the past month with a knee injury, and Vogel revealed that he and the coaching staff have a vision of what the team will look like when he is back on the floor. “Well I think we have an idea of what we’re gonna look like when Anthony comes back, we just haven’t seen it all together over any type of long stretch.
“So when you have a vision of what you’re gonna look like, obviously there’s an adaptation element once you see it play out and you see all the pros and cons of it. We have an idea of what we want to look like but we just haven’t had everybody together at once yet to see it.”
Vogel and the Lakers could see that idea sooner rather than later as there is reportedly some optimism that Davis can return to game action during their upcoming Grammy road trip. Suffice to say, getting back the superstar would be huge in getting L.A. back on track and it will be interesting to see how Vogel envisions them playing when Davis is finally available.
Austin Reaves continues to impress Frank Vogel and LeBron James
One bright spot in recent weeks has been the play of Austin Reaves, who has proven he deserves a permanent spot in the rotation. Reaves has shined despite the Lakers’ struggles and LeBron James and Vogel had continued to be impressed by the rookie.
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