On Friday, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 128-121, but it wasn't easy. Head coach JJ Reddick is noticing struggles with the Lakers' offense. The main issue is a lack of communication among the players.

One area that really hurt them was ATOs (After Timeout plays). They gave up eight in total, which LeBron James took exception to. Fast forward to Sunday, they only missed one ATO and the Lakers win 120-114, which James openly credits as a “180 change”, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

“That’s unacceptable,” James said in reference to the eight missed ATOs on Friday. “Guys hear it, take full responsibility … and then make that 180 change.”

On Sunday, James scored 26 points, dished out ten assists, and grabbed seven rebounds. It was Luka Doncic who dominated with a game-high of 36 points, along with nine rebounds and eight assists.

Additionally, Doncic was lights out from the three-point line, hitting four.

Also, Jake LaRavia equaled James with 26 points and also had five rebounds and four assists. DeAndre Ayton scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds.

Article Continues Below

Meanwhile, Austin Reaves remains out with a calf injury. The Lakers are now 22-11 and face the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday on the road.

The vitality of ATOs cannot be underestimated by the Lakers or anyone else

In basketball, ATOs are crucial because they give the offense the chance to draw up strategies to exploit the defense's weaknesses. As a result, they have a clear chance to increase their scoring chances and change the trajectory of the game with a few baskets here and there.

In the case of the Lakers, these are opportunities for guys like James and Doncic to rise to the occasion, especially when they can create mismatches.

But lately, there have been issues around inconsistency and execution in that realm.