CHARLES Barkley mocked the Los Angeles Lakers’ defense for their first-round upset loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Inside the NBA star called out the Los Angeles Lakers after their 103-96 elimination loss to the Timberwolves on Wednesday night.
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The Timberwolves were the underdog before the first-round series, but it appears that Barkley wasn’t surprised by the eventual outcome.
The Lakers gave up at least 116 points in three of their four losses to the Anthony Edwards-led Timberwolves.
The 62-year-old outspoken Barkley said that the Lakers need to add athleticism and defense in the offseason, while singling out four-time NBA MVP LeBron James and five-time All-Star Luka Doncic in the process.
“Number one – They gotta get some more athletic ability,” Barkley said.
“They can’t guard anybody. So they’re gonna have to find somebody to cover for LeBron and Luka defensively.
“Because LeBron don’t play defense anymore.”
Barkley then saved his best line for Doncic, saying he “can’t guard a chair.
“And you’re gonna have to be Wilt [Chamberland], Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] and Bill Russell back there blocking shots if they’re gonna keep anyone in front of them,” he added.
The Lakers’ defensive breakdowns against the Timberwolves comes after ra time from January 30 to March 6 in which the team led the NBA in defensive rating.
NBA fans weren’t afraid to react to Barkley’s criticism of the Lakers on social media.
“Barkley’s criticism is fair,” one wrote.
“Agree with Barkley here,” another commented.
“That chair line is funny,” a third said.
“LeBron with 4 steals per game in the series but go off chuck,” a fourth added.
It’s worth noting that James and Doncic scored a combined 50 points in the elimination game.
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But Doncic’s defense, or lack thereof, has been a talking point for quite some time.
And the Lakers were unable to get production from a center or powerforward which hurt them plenty in the Timberwolves series.
That point was more glaring on Wednesday night when Rudy Gobert exploded for a playoff career-high 27 points and 24 rebounds on 12-of-15 shooting.
Gobert is the first player in NBA playoff history to record 25 points, 20 rebounds, and 80 percent shooting in a series-clinching game.
Minnesota will take on the winner of the series between the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets.
Steph Curry’s Warriors are up 3-2 in that series as Game 6 will take place on Friday night.
