It’s an uphill climb from here on out for the Los Angeles Lakers if they want any chance of making the playoffs, and the early returns after the All-Star break haven’t been promising at all. They’ve suffered some ugly losses this past week to inferior opponents like Grizzlies and Suns – games they desperately needed – as well as a crunch-time meltdown to the Pelicans on Friday night.
They’ve been plagued by inconsistent play, lackluster effort, defensive miscues, and more when it matters most, with LeBron James squarely at the center of it as his growing frustration with the younger players on the roster is more and more palpable with each loss.
At least one former Laker, however, is happy to be free of all that turmoil. After a comfortable 128-107 win over the Knicks on Sunday afternoon, Clippers center Ivica Zubac explained how his current team differs from the Lakers, and in his mind, most of it relates directly to effort.
https://twitter.com/MirjamSwanson/status/1102355963124768768
Zubac and Michael Beasley were sent to the Clippers at the trade deadline in exchange for Mike Muscala. So far, he’s made some solid contributions since he’s joined the in-city rivals, averaging 8.5 points and 7.7 rebounds per game in nine games since the trade deadline.
