We are now five games into the regular NBA season so you know what that means: it's time to freak out about the Los Angeles Lakers!
LA fans are feeling a bit more than nervous today after an epic meltdown last night that resulted in them losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Just to be clear, there was no way the Lakers should have gone down to the Thunder, who are inarguably one of the worst teams in the league. In fact, they weren't losing at first. But LA decided to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory and give up a 26-point lead to hand the Thunder their first win of the season. Congrats, fellas.
The Lakers currently have a 2-3 record. This is causing some people to predictably freak out. While many fans (like yours truly) warned that this new Lakers line-up would experience some growing pains and would face adversity especially at the beginning of the season, others are saying it's time to examine what's gone wrong and how to fix it. So let's do just that.
Westbrook
Russell Westbrook was always going to be a big variable for the Lakers. Ever since the team signed Westbrook, fans were wondering which version of the former Thunder/Rockets/Wizard we would see. Would it be the sharing, caring Russell Westbrook who was all about assists and helping his team secure a victory? Or would it be the greedy, hero-ball Westbrook who takes a chance at every conceivable three-pointer he sees?
So far, he's been a bit of both. His assists are up a smidge (9.4 per game versus 8.6 in previous seasons) and his rebounds are also inching up (9.4 to 7.4). But his turnovers have ticked up (6.0 a game versus 4.1 before) and his three-point percentage has dropped a lot, 30.5% to 17.4%. Last night alone, he attempted 8 threes and landed 2 of them.
If LA is going to get through this rough patch, they will need Westbrook to double-down on laying off the threes and instead focus on being a team player with a singular goal: winning the season game-by-game.
Side note: Westbrook did land his first triple-double of the season last night. But he also got ejected in the final seconds of the game. You take the good with the bad, I guess.
AD & Defense
The best news coming out of the Lakers is that Anthony Davis seems to be playing like his regular self again. The Brow is back, thank goodness. Across the board, he is putting up numbers consistent with the rest of his career. In fact, he's creating more points, rebounds, and blocks than he ever has before, including during playoff games.
AD is a major part of the Lakers' defense, which happens to be the area that most needs improvement. In their game against the Thunder, LA secured 30 defensive rebounds against Oklahoma City's 32. That's not great but when you look at their first five games, you see the Lakers regularly getting beat in three-point percentage and even field goal percentage. They are giving away too many shots and, worse yet, performing far too many personal fouls. Last night, it was 22 to OKC's 16. Through their sloppy - and sometimes non-existent - defense, the Lakers are creating a viable pathway for teams to surpass them.
Lebron?
LeBron James has only played three games this season (apparently his ankle is having issues). That's a smart move for a team that is hoping to make it far into the post-season. They will need James as rested as possible. Plus, there is no better time to relax him than at the beginning of the season, when the rest of the squad can learn to work together and carry their own weight.
But, damn, he sure is missed. In the games he has played in, James has been predictably great. 26 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists a game, and a three-point percentage that is a whopping 14 percent higher than his career average (48.3% to 34.6%). Obviously, those numbers could change and go down the more James plays, but he is showing just as much promise as you would expect.
There is no doubt that LA is wanting LeBron back. However, they shouldn't rush to get him on the court. This is going to be a long season and James needs all the breaks he can get.
Lakers fans shouldn't be panicking too much just yet. Yes, the team has had some rough games so far but they should look at this troubled time as an opportunity to learn what needs to be adjusted and changed - and then do exactly that.
We are now five games into the regular NBA season so you know what that means: it's time to freak out about the Los Angeles Lakers!
LA fans are feeling a bit more than nervous today after an epic meltdown last night that resulted in them losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Just to be clear, there was no way the Lakers should have gone down to the Thunder, who are inarguably one of the worst teams in the league. In fact, they weren't losing at first. But LA decided to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory and give up a 26-point lead to hand the Thunder their first win of the season. Congrats, fellas.
The Lakers currently have a 2-3 record. This is causing some people to predictably freak out. While many fans (like yours truly) warned that this new Lakers line-up would experience some growing pains and would face adversity especially at the beginning of the season, others are saying it's time to examine what's gone wrong and how to fix it. So let's do just that.
Westbrook
Russell Westbrook was always going to be a big variable for the Lakers. Ever since the team signed Westbrook, fans were wondering which version of the former Thunder/Rockets/Wizard we would see. Would it be the sharing, caring Russell Westbrook who was all about assists and helping his team secure a victory? Or would it be the greedy, hero-ball Westbrook who takes a chance at every conceivable three-pointer he sees?
If LA is going to get through this rough patch, they will need Westbrook to double-down on laying off the threes and instead focus on being a team player with a singular goal: winning the season game-by-game.
Side note: Westbrook did land his first triple-double of the season last night. But he also got ejected in the final seconds of the game. You take the good with the bad, I guess.
AD & Defense
The best news coming out of the Lakers is that Anthony Davis seems to be playing like his regular self again. The Brow is back, thank goodness. Across the board, he is putting up numbers consistent with the rest of his career. In fact, he's creating more points, rebounds, and blocks than he ever has before, including during playoff games.
AD is a major part of the Lakers' defense, which happens to be the area that most needs improvement. In their game against the Thunder, LA secured 30 defensive rebounds against Oklahoma City's 32. That's not great but when you look at their first five games, you see the Lakers regularly getting beat in three-point percentage and even field goal percentage. They are giving away too many shots and, worse yet, performing far too many personal fouls. Last night, it was 22 to OKC's 16. Through their sloppy - and sometimes non-existent - defense, the Lakers are creating a viable pathway for teams to surpass them.
Lebron?
LeBron James has only played three games this season (apparently his ankle is having issues). That's a smart move for a team that is hoping to make it far into the post-season. They will need James as rested as possible. Plus, there is no better time to relax him than at the beginning of the season, when the rest of the squad can learn to work together and carry their own weight.
But, damn, he sure is missed. In the games he has played in, James has been predictably great. 26 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists a game, and a three-point percentage that is a whopping 14 percent higher than his career average (48.3% to 34.6%). Obviously, those numbers could change and go down the more James plays, but he is showing just as much promise as you would expect.
There is no doubt that LA is wanting LeBron back. However, they shouldn't rush to get him on the court. This is going to be a long season and James needs all the breaks he can get.
Lakers fans shouldn't be panicking too much just yet. Yes, the team has had some rough games so far but they should look at this troubled time as an opportunity to learn what needs to be adjusted and changed - and then do exactly that.
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