ATLANTA — The position the Lakers are in entering Thursday’s marquee matchup against the Boston Celtics isn’t an unfamiliar one.
Because if there’s been anything consistent about the 2023-24 Lakers, it’s been their inconsistency, with Tuesday’s 138-122 loss to the struggling Atlanta Hawks just the latest example.
“We could, on any given night, beat any team in the NBA,” LeBron James said. “And then on any given night, we can get our ass kicked by any team in the NBA. That’s just the [facts]. What’s our record? Under .500? What, 24-25? That’s where we are.”
And it’s also where they’ve been for a vast majority of the season: key players being out because of injury.
Lineup discussions and dialogue about slow starts.
A “big” win, or series of wins that looks like the team is on the verge of a breakthrough is usually followed by disappointing results that bring them back to where they started.
It’s a cycle that they’ve been stuck in for the last 1½ months, but especially in January – a month that was supposed to be an “easier” part of the schedule.
Yet they went 7-8, adding to the frustration they came into the month with. And the confusion as to why they’ve experienced significant swings in the season.
“I mean, guys have been out [since] early in the season,” Christian Wood said. “Guys getting back. [Jarred Vanderbilt] looks like he’s getting back into his usual form and defending and moving and the way he’s been active laterally. Gabe [Vincent] is still out, so we’ve been missing a few guys. A.D. didn’t play Tuesday, he’s our team captain, so just trying to figure out certain lineups. And [Coach Darvin Ham’s] been throwing out lineups out there, trying to figure it out.”
Wood added to the drama of this season when he posted “Lol” on his X account (formerly known as Twitter), leading to speculation on social media that he wasn’t happy about not starting in place of Anthony Davis against…
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