The Los Angeles Lakers have effectively collapsed after a 10-4 start to the 2024/25 season. They have won just three of their last 11 games, losing four of them by 25 points or more and scoring fewer than 95 points three times. They’ve gone from a team in contention for a top spot in the Western Conference to a tie for 10th place with the San Antonio Spurs.

The Lakers have had some good performances from role players like Max Christie while missing a few others due to injury. But overall, the last 11 games have been a disaster for LA. They culminated in a 97-87 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday in which the Lakers turned the ball over 22 times despite having four days off to prepare and get healthy.

When discussing the team’s recent offensive woes, Christie expressed confidence that they will be fixed, via Spectrum SportsNet:

“First of all, no one gave up on this team. We as a unit, we just said it this morning, everyone on the coaching staff believes in us and I know we believed in each other. So that’s definitely there. But I think we just have to get better offensively, and we realized that after the game. Our defense gives us a chance to win games every single game. Losses of the ball were a problem tonight. Other nights it could be different things offensively. But it’s just a bump in the road that we need to fix. We have enough firepower with the guys in this room that we know we can score, like you said, 110 points a game. So it’s just an incident for us and we’re not worried, it’s a long season. We’re about a quarter done, so we still have three quarters of the season to go. So we have plenty of time to fix the problem and we will definitely be proactive.”

It seems like every night is a new story for the Lakers. Turnovers – a place where the Lakers are actually among the best in the league – were their downfall on Friday night. But as Christie says, other nights it’s different offensive things and sometimes it’s their defense, even if that has steadily improved.

But one thing is certain: Right now, the Lakers aren’t playing the kind of basketball that lends itself to consistent wins. And since they barely qualify for the play-in tournament with a record over .500, it’s clear they need to turn things around quickly.

The Lakers aren’t sure when LeBron James will rejoin the team

LeBron James needed a break to get back on his feet both mentally and physically. That’s why he got Sunday night off against the Portland Trail Blazers. Then personal matters arose that threatened his return.

When asked about a possible return for the four-time champions ahead of Friday night’s game against the Timberwolves, in which James missed out, head coach JJ Redick said he didn’t know when the star would rejoin the team.