The Lakers Lose Big to Bulls, 124-108. D'Angelo Russell Struggling, Team Energy Lacking

Wednesday's game to kick off the road trip was supposed to be the "easy" one for the Lakers. A sub-.500 Bulls team in Chicago.

Well, maybe it will be the easiest, but it still didn't go well for the Lakers. They lose 124-108, and are completely out of sorts on both sides of the ball. Wednesday, they came out of the gate with energy—LeBron James was very aggressive from the jump—but as Chicago made shots, the Lakers couldn't respond. And then once again, they found themselves down big, and playing uphill.

Over the course of 48 minutes, the Lakers looked disorganized and confused. It was the opposite of their best moments this season, where the execution was sharp and the team played with confidence and swagger. There was none of that on either side of the ball, probably most exemplified by the game D'Angelo Russell played. Only two points and two assists, and even when he was doing good things, moving the offense along, he did it with a level of passivity that must be disturbing to the coaching staff.

But he's not alone. The attention to detail has cratered, and the Lakers are getting pounded on all the all the little things.

And they need to figure it out quickly, because it doesn't get any easier.

Darvin Ham certainly has a lot of work to do, trying to establish a rotation (they welcomed back Gabe Vincent on Wednesday) while players are moving in and out, and he's clearly losing faith in certain players on the roster (here's looking at you, backup centers).

This is as bad as they've looked all season. What can turn it around?

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: The Lakers get blown out in Chicago.

SEGMENT 2: Gabe Vincent returns, but the Lakers still have a continuity problem.

SEGMENT 3: Russell needs his swagger back.

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