Originally published by LakersNation.com
The 2021-22 season has been an up-and-down one for the Los Angeles Lakers as despite having championship aspirations, they are below .500 at 21-22 around the halfway point.
It looked as if the Lakers were making some progress, recently winning four straight games, although that has all come crashing down over the last week when L.A. lost three straight games in blowout fashion.
After their last loss to the Denver Nuggets, the Lakers’ effort was called into question by Frank Vogel, Russell Westbrook, Dwight Howard and Magic Johnson, among other.
Despite the recently lack of effort though, Howard maintains that the Lakers still have the ability to turn things around.
“No doubt. You can’t stop believing that you’re going to win and just say, ‘Ah, f**k it. Let’s give up.’ So yeah, we know we’ve put ourselves in a pretty tough predicament, but all it takes is a couple games and some good energy and some positivity. Just got to stay as positive as we can. We can’t allow any of the outside noise from anybody to really affect us and affect the journey,” Howard said.
“Every team that we play is going to shoot the lights out. They’re going to play the best that they can because they want to see us fall and as it should be. You shouldn’t just go out there and expect us to win, but teams are coming at our necks. We got to change that mentality, we got to start hitting first.”
Howard is right that there is still time to turn things around, especially with Anthony Davis’ expected return around the end of the month.
In order to do so though, the Lakers will have to play harder and focus on the defensive end more.
Howard emphasizes need for more effort
That is something that the team is aware of though as Howard emphasized the need to play harder after the recent loss to the Nuggets.
“Well, all of us got to bring energy. It just can’t be one or two people, so all of us have to have the same mindset. We’re a team and it’s going to take all of us to win. Obviously, I pride myself on energy and effort and intensity, so it hurts to lose a game like this, especially with us not playing with the energy that we need to.
“At this point in the game, it’s over with. We can hold our heads or get in the gym tomorrow and try to figure out a way to get better and come back for the next game and do it all over. Try it again.”
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The 2021-22 season has been an up-and-down one for the Los Angeles Lakers as despite having championship aspirations, they are below .500 at 21-22 around the halfway point.
It looked as if the Lakers were making some progress, recently winning four straight games, although that has all come crashing down over the last week when L.A. lost three straight games in blowout fashion.
After their last loss to the Denver Nuggets, the Lakers’ effort was called into question by Frank Vogel, Russell Westbrook, Dwight Howard and Magic Johnson, among other.
Despite the recently lack of effort though, Howard maintains that the Lakers still have the ability to turn things around.
“No doubt. You can’t stop believing that you’re going to win and just say, ‘Ah, f**k it. Let’s give up.’ So yeah, we know we’ve put ourselves in a pretty tough predicament, but all it takes is a couple games and some good energy and some positivity. Just got to stay as positive as we can. We can’t allow any of the outside noise from anybody to really affect us and affect the journey,” Howard said.
“Every team that we play is going to shoot the lights out. They’re going to play the best that they can because they want to see us fall and as it should be. You shouldn’t just go out there and expect us to win, but teams are coming at our necks. We got to change that mentality, we got to start hitting first.”
Howard is right that there is still time to turn things around, especially with Anthony Davis’ expected return around the end of the month.
In order to do so though, the Lakers will have to play harder and focus on the defensive end more.
Howard emphasizes need for more effort
That is something that the team is aware of though as Howard emphasized the need to play harder after the recent loss to the Nuggets.
“Well, all of us got to bring energy. It just can’t be one or two people, so all of us have to have the same mindset. We’re a team and it’s going to take all of us to win. Obviously, I pride myself on energy and effort and intensity, so it hurts to lose a game like this, especially with us not playing with the energy that we need to.
“At this point in the game, it’s over with. We can hold our heads or get in the gym tomorrow and try to figure out a way to get better and come back for the next game and do it all over. Try it again.”
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
