As the new-look Los Angeles Lakers were working to develop new chemistry during the preseason, they faced challenge of NBA officiating calling games more tightly. On any given night the Lakers had multiple players in foul trouble, throwing off head coach Luke Walton’s rotations.
That carried into the regular season, which led to Walton criticizing officiating and Josh Hart and LeBron James being among those to voice their frustration over tightly-called games. Strangely, James struggled to get whistles in his favor.
While players have adjusted in some sense, officiating has remained inconsistent and frustrated players across the league.