Let’s not beat around the bush: the Lakers are not NBA title contenders.
At least, not yet.
And don’t kid yourself either because you already knew that wasn’t the case, despite having flashes of being the type of team that could play deeper in the NBA calendar.
Yes, the Lakers — with a 27-17 record after Saturday’s win over the Dallas Mavericks for their third victory in four games — are mixed in the standings with a few other Western Conference teams and not far behind in the No. 2 spot.
Yes, they’ve had significant injuries: LeBron James was sidelined through training camp, the preseason, and the first fourteen games of the regular season due to sciatica; and Austin Reaves have played just two games since mid-December due to calf injuries.
Due to their setbacks in player availability, the Lakers have had their three best players in Reaves, James and Luka Dončić for the same game only eight times out of the 44 times they have played so far.
Speaking of Dončić, the Lakers also have an MVP-quality player, which is historically necessary for championship contenders.
And yet they are not contenders at the moment.
Not like the Thunder. Or the Nuggets. Or the Spurs. Or the Eastern Conference team of your choice, since that conference must be represented in the NBA Finals.
The Lakers defense? Not good enough, No. 25 in the league – which is an improvement on that end of the floor after picking up their play this past week.
Their offense? Very good, number 9 in the rankings, but not as great as it should be to compensate for their poor perimeter defense, and far from the heights expected of them with Dončić, James and Reaves on the roster.
The schedule? Not balanced enough with players who are consistently effective on both ends of the floor, or who complement each other.
Their effort and execution? Not consistent enough, which is why 15 of their 17 losses have been by double digits, and they have a negative points differential on the season, which can often be a better indicator of a team’s quality rather than their record.
Do you know what real contenders are? Consistent.
The Lakers are still figuring out who they are every night.
“For the group as a whole, effort and execution are probably the two biggest things,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said Saturday. “I’ve been using the word ‘consistency’ a lot. That’s just what we’re looking for. Because again, we’ve shown that we can deliver on both ends. And we’ve shown that we can put effort on both ends. It’s just a matter of consistency.”
The good news for the Lakers is that despite their obvious shortcomings, many of which were evident before they even played their first game, they are closer to contenders than is often thought.
Here’s what needs to happen to help them go from pretenders to contenders:
First, when Reaves makes his return to the floor, which seems imminent and could be during the Grammy road trip, DO NOT go back to the starting lineup of Dončić, Reaves, James, Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton.
Although it only played a small number of minutes (85), that unit was responsible for the team’s slow start from mid-November to mid-December. It performed poorly on both ends of the floor, leading to a net rating of minus 19.9.
The Lakers’ current starting lineup, with Marcus Smart and Jake LaRavia in place of Reaves and Hachimura, wasn’t great (minus-1.6 net rating), but it was good enough because it has balance. And the players are assigned roles for which they are better suited defensively. When fully healthy, Smart, who has been the team’s best defender this season, should start in place of Hachimura, who could still be valuable in a reserve role.
It’s a shame that the Dončić-Reaves-Smart-James-Ayton line-up only played three minutes.
The Lakers should also be elite offensively. Very good or borderline great isn’t good enough for a team that will have defensive issues even if Smart is in the first unit and more balanced lineups are used throughout the game.
The team can get closer to reaching the offensive ceiling if the players are more consistent in their offensive organization, including running plays/sets. This has proven to be the case when the Lakers are at their best.
Download the California Post app, follow us on social media and subscribe to our newsletters
California Post News: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, WhatsApp, LinkedIn
California Post Sports Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X
California Post Opinion
California Post Newsletters: Register here!
California Post App: Download here!
Page Six Hollywood: Register here!
As for the schedule?
Clearly, there is a need for a trade for a two-way wing/guard. A player better than Smart who could guard bigger wings while being a reliable three-point threat.
The Lakers aren’t as far removed from contenders as some might think. But if they don’t fix their obvious issues, we’ll be back here in early May to talk about their season in the past tense for the third year in a row.
#Lakers #figuring #Heres #real #contenders