of los angeles lakersThe first 14 games offered a brief glimmer of hope that perhaps a new head coach might indeed fix all their problems. Since then, the Lakers have fallen into the cold reality of years of mediocrity, with the team's structure seemingly coming apart at the seams and falling down the Western Conference standings.
It is impossible for LA to get out of this situation through internal measures. The Lakers, as currently assembled, are not a good basketball team, and there is no magic way to fix what amounts to years of roster decline.
The Lakers suffered another humiliation on Wednesday night, losing 134-93 to the Miami Heat. it is 8th worst loss in last 47 years That's true for the franchise, but blowouts are quickly becoming the norm. the lakers lost 25 points or more 4 times in the last 12 days. The team's 3-0 start and Anthony Davis' early MVP hype now feels like a distant memory.
The Lakers have been bad for a number of reasons. Their defense is an insult to our beautiful game, and this complete lack of effort and attention is becoming the norm.
The Lakers are 27th out of 30 teams in defensive efficiency and are getting closer to the bottom with each game. Their transition defense has been particularly abysmal, ranking at the bottom of the league. By cleaning the glass. It got so bad that Even Davis gave up on his dream of winning Defensive Player of the Year..
LA is once again a terrible shooting team. The Lakers rank 25th in 3-point percentage (percentage of three made from the field) and 20th in 3-point percentage. The average three-point percentage in the NBA this season is 36.6 percent. L.A.'s top three 3-point attempts all shoot below that mark, and Gabe Vincent and Max Christie, who are supposed to be the team's bench shooters, each shoot less than 28 percent from three on the season.
Typically, the Lakers' biggest concern is the availability of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. This season is different. LeBron played in every game, while AD only missed one game. The Lakers' games are already pretty ugly with both stars in the lineup, and it's surprising to think how bad it could be if they start missing minutes.
The Lakers have already started calling each other out in postgame press conferences. New head coach JJ Redick and the two veteran superstars have done a great job of fulfilling their responsibilities so far, but there appears to be a problem. New quotes suitable for meme templates every night:
By the way, LeBron James will turn 40 in three weeks. For the first time in his career, it feels like he finally lost to Father Time.
LeBron has always tried to win the GOAT debate regarding longevity. He made outrageous claims himself. No player in the history of the league has been so dominant for so long. He has played nearly 500 more games than Michael Jordan in his career and has basically been an All-NBA player his whole life. James proved during the Olympics that he can still step up when it matters most. Well, he did that this season, leading this flawed Lakers team to a hopeless victory.
There's also no denying the fact that LeBron James is finally starting to slow down. Not only does he play with the same motor, the same enthusiasm that he always has on the court. The numbers are becoming brutal.
It's no secret that James has been in a major shooting slump this year. James hit a career-best 41 percent on threes last year, but this year he's dropped to 34.2 percent on threes, and he finally broke his streak of 20 consecutive missed threes against the Heat. It's probably not a coincidence, but James said heading into the season that he wants to play in all 82 games.. It's like when my legs get tired, I start shooting. Redick is also starting to push back. About James playing every game.
The bigger issue for James is that he now has to rely on his jumper because he doesn't have the same speed to the rim. According to , James has only made 40 percent of his field goal attempts at the rim this season. cleaning the glassThis is the lowest score since 2010-11. He is currently making 69% of his shots at the rim. He has only gotten to the rim below 70 percent three times in his first 21 seasons.
That was it 5 years since LeBron's “Washed King” tweet. A few months later, he led the Lakers to the NBA championship inside the bubble. James can still play as well as any player in the league other than Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo…albeit for a short period of time. But his days of dominating night after night and leading his team to the playoffs seem to be over.
The Lakers' decline isn't James' fault. A historic talent like LeBron deserves to play on a better team that can compete for championships in the twilight of his career. In exchange, the Lakers kept some future draft picks and went horribly cheap in free agency.
The Lakers could still use a trade or three. They have long felt like they were the most logical team to trade Zach LaVine, and the reality is it wouldn't cost much to acquire him from the Chicago Bulls. While LaVine's contract is still considered difficult around the league, there's no denying he's been playing at an All-Star level this season.
Players who averaged at least 21.5 points per game and at least 4 assists per game on 63.5% or higher true shooting this season:
– Nikola Jokic
– Stephen Curry
– Zach Lavigne pic.twitter.com/QrTDGjt04z— Ricky O'Donnell (@SBN_Ricky) December 3, 2024
LaVine's Bulls teammate Nikola Vucevic could also fit in with the Lakers, potentially becoming a deep bench reserve like Torrey Craig. of brooklyn nets There are a lot of players who could help the Lakers. Dorian Finney-Smith and Cam Johnson provide the necessary size and filming, respectively. Do the Lakers want to try again with Dennis Schroder?
In fact, teams are about to start working hard to acquire Cooper Flagg. The Lakers benefited from that a few years ago when they signed the Jazz to shore up the depth that helped them reach the Conference Finals. There was a lot of luck in this run, but the Western Conference is much better this season than it was back then. If the Bulls or Nets can't help the Lakers this year, the Wizards, Jazz, Raptors, or Trail Blazers might. I think the Lakers could get some real help without the franchise giving up another first-round pick, as teams at the bottom want to prioritize their draft position.
The Lakers, including D'Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves, Gabe Vincent, Jared Vanderbilt and Max Christie, have more than $75 million in tradeable salary. If they learned anything this year, it's that coaching changes can't solve the structural problems of this roster. The Lakers need more defense, more shooting, and a way to score without shooting free throws. It's not unreasonable to think all of these players need to be traded for new bodies that could be a better fit around James and Davis.
The Lakers' net rating of -4.7 currently ranks 23rd in the league, but their 12-10 overall record still ranks them 13th in the league. The Lakers are a much worse team than their record suggests, and they won't be able to come back from this without making some outside moves. If they can't produce some meaningful games, it might be time to consider trading Davis and starting a post-LeBron rebuild in earnest. Losing a 2027 first-round pick (with the top four protected) certainly doesn't help.
Things are getting tough for the Lakers. It certainly feels like darker days are on the horizon.
