The Los Angeles Lakers’ back-to-back to begin the week went about as poorly as it could have. Two 16-point losses at the hands of the Houston Rockets and Atlanta Hawks — the second game without Anthony Davis due to a groin injury — dropped LeBron James and the Lakers to 24-25, certainly far from the place they thought they would be over halfway through the season.

They have had injuries, inconsistent rotations and other excuses to fall back on throughout the season. But at a certain point, a team is simply who they are. And James, who had been among the loudest in saying that the team couldn’t be judged earlier in the season, may be coming around to that reality.

James took to X to post a classic cryptic NBA player tweet sometime around the trade deadline, leaving people to speculate on its possible meaning:

⌛️

— LeBron James (@KingJames) January 31, 2024

Luckily, James gave some much needed context about what he might mean before he even put the hourglass on X. He spoke after the Lakers loss about their energy level and if it was enough to beat the Hawks, via Spectrum SportsNet:

“At times. At times it wasn’t. But that’s our record. It is what it is.”

James then went on to speak about the team’s 24-25 record and if it represents who they are:

“We could, on any given night, beat any team in the NBA. And then on any given night, we can get our ass kicked by any team in the NBA. What’s our record? Under .500 at 24-25. That’s what we are.”

This is the first time that James admitted the Lakers may simply not be very good. Injuries were an issue for a long time, but they haven’t really plagued the team as of late. And while inconsistent rotations were a problem, they’ve become more consistent recently with losses still piling up.

With two tough road games coming up against the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks, James had an interesting answer when he was asked if he has a message for his teammates:

“I don’t have any message for my teammates. Just go out and do your job. I mean …(chuckles to himself and then team staffer ends the interview)… Way to cut me off,” James said as he turned away from reporters. “Because I was about to go in.”

A Lakers team staffer may have saved an explosive quote from coming out, but James’ frustration is palpable. Perhaps the hourglass is a signal that the Lakers are running out of time to improve and therefore need to make a trade. Or James is saying his time with the Lakers is running out, as he is a free agent at the end of this season.

Either way, all is not well in Los Angeles, and time is going to be a factor regardless of how L.A. chooses to address these issues.

Lakers’ Christian Wood addresses tweet

James is not the first Lakers player to post something cryptic on social media this trade deadline season, as Christian Wood tweeted “Lol” just 20 minutes before tipoff when it was announced that Jaxson Hayes would be starting in Davis’ place instead of him.

Wood was asked about it after the game and clarified that the tweet was not basketball related, although given the timing, that is hard to believe.