Frank Vogel Needs to Figure Out the Lakers' Crunch Time Lineup Before it's Too Late

The Los Angeles Lakers couldn't hold onto a 15-point third quarter lead against their arch rivals, the Los Angeles Clippers. This was the Lakers' fourth loss in a row, with three being by seven or less points.

However, in the last half of the fourth quarter, the Lakers looked lost, turning the ball over on many possessions and taking contested or difficult shots on others. As we are approaching the halfway point of the season, coach Frank Vogel needs to figure out the team's ideal crunch time lineup so these late game hiccups don't plague them down the stretch.

LeBron hurt his groin earlier in the game, which clearly impacted his shot selection and defensive ability. James was forced off of Kawhi Leonard, which allowed the Klaw to go off in a late Clippers comeback. Not to mention, James chucked up some questionable outside looks in the fourth quarter rather than driving to the rim to avoid putting more pressure on his already-ailing injury. Some of this could've been avoided had Vogel made the correct adjustments to his late-game lineups.

I am a huge LeBron James fan, but anyone who watched the last few minutes knows he completely disappeared. Vogel has to put a system in place so that his team can succeed in the final minutes of the game and not have to rely on an awful shot like this from LeBron.

If the Lakers are going to reach their ultimate goal, Vogel has to get a grip on his team and come up with an ideal fourth quarter identity.