The Los Angeles Lakers have issues. This much is clear, both from the reality that they’re currently 4.5 games out of the playoffs with just 19 games left to play, and the fact that they keep losing to teams like the Phoenix Suns, who got their 13th win of the season against the Lakers in a game the latter team positively needed.
In fact, at this point, it’s probably fair to point to things beyond the Lakers’ generalized issues as being to blame for where they currently sit. The way they’ve fallen apart on defense — the end of the floor where communication is most key — would seem to be evidence of something more specific, the dreaded “trust issues” all NBA team’s want to avoid.