Luke Walton blasts Lakers players, calls them "mentally soft"

It seems like the honeymoon is over for the Purple & Gold. After starting the season with a 10-10 record, the Los Angeles Lakers have lost eight games on the trot and coach Luke Walton is running out of patience.

Walton, who was ejected for slamming referees during the Lakers' previous loss in Sacramento, was once again animated on the sidelines during his team's 107-97 defeat to Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday.

After the loss to Brooklyn, Walton gave his players a locker room dressing down and called them "mentally soft". Nick Young, back in the starting unit after missing six games due to injury, said coach Walton didn't hold back while addressing the team after the latest defeat at the Barclays Center.

"He (Walton) raised his voice. He got his point across today (Wednesday). Just mentally being soft and calling us out. We got to step up to the plate. I know I'm not soft. My teammates aren't soft, so we got to show him and prove ourselves," Young told reporters after the game, via ESPN.

READ: Lakers lose eighth in a row during 107-97 defeat to Brooklyn Nets

In the past, Walton has preached patience with his young squad and made it clear that development of the young players takes precedence over wins and losses. But Walton let his frustrations known after his players allowed Bojan Bogdanovic, Sean Kilpatrick and Brook Lopez combine for 65 points on Wednesday.

"(There were) little moments in the game that I felt we could've made a little distance and we casually approached as a group. As a group, as a team, we've got a lot to learn about winning and how hard it is. It's frustrating, but it's where we're at. It's like I told the guys, we're going to find a way out. When that is, time will tell," a visibly annoyed Walton said after the road defeat.

Luke Walton challenges team

D'Angelo Russell, who missed 11 straight games (12 during a 13-game stretch), is back with the team but still on a minutes’ restriction. On Friday, the second-year point guard played just 23 minutes for his 11 points.

"He (Walton) came in, said what he said, and it was just a challenge. The best thing about it is we got practice (Thursday). We get to see who really takes what he says and goes with it and who takes what he says and it goes through one ear and out the other," Russell, the former No.2 overall pick, said after the game.

Luke Walton and the Lakers have begun their seven-game road trip with defeats in Sacramento and Brooklyn. They will now travel to Philadelphia (Friday) and Cleveland (Saturday) over the weekend before games in Charlotte (next Tuesday), Miami (next Thursday) and Orlando (next Friday). After their strenuous road trip, the Lakers will return home to host the Los Angeles Clippers on Christmas evening.