LeBron James: I'm Not Going to 'Harp' on Lakers' Shooting After Loss vs. Clippers
October 21, 2022
After lamenting about his team's lack of shooters following a season-opening loss, LeBron James offered a different message in the wake of the Los Angeles Lakers' 103-97 defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday.
Speaking to reporters after the loss, James explained he's "not going to sit here and harp on what we can't do" after every game.
"That's not a leader," the Lakers superstar said. "What I know we can do? We can defend our ass off. We did that tonight, which gave us an opportunity to win, and we just couldn't make it happen. But, I'm OK with that."
Coming out of the Lakers' 123-109 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, James addressed the team shooting just 10-of-40 from three-point range:
"I mean, to be completely honest, we’re not a team that’s constructed of great shooting. And that’s just what the truth of the matter is. It’s not like we’re sitting here with a lot of lasers on our team. But that doesn’t deter us from still trying to get great shots. When you get those opportunities, you take them. But we’re not sitting here with a bunch of 40-plus [percent] career three-point shooting guys."
Things were even worse against the Clippers, as the Lakers made just nine of their 45 attempts from behind the arc.
Russell Westbrook had a particularly bad night with just two points. He missed all 11 of his field-goal attempts, including 0-of-6 from three. Patrick Beverley wasn't much better, going 1-of-6 from distance.
James, Anthony Davis and Lonnie Walker IV were the only Lakers who reached double digits in scoring.
The Purple and Gold's defensive ability did show up Thursday. The Clippers only made 31 percent of their three-point attempts and committed 21 turnovers.
The Lakers were unable to take advantage of those opportunities because they couldn't make enough shots. They finished 33-of-94 (35 percent) from the field overall.
Thursday's loss dropped the Lakers to 0-2. This marks the third time in five seasons with James on the roster they have lost their first two games.
The Lakers will look to get their first win of the season on Sunday when they host the Portland Trail Blazers at Crypto.com Arena.