The Los Angeles Lakers have been on quite the rollercoaster since trading for Luka Doncic. After the trade, they enjoyed a 12-2 stretch. Since then, several rotation players got hurt, and they’ve gone 4-8. The whiplash has had its effect on fans across social media, who are now wondering who their favorite team actually is. It’s too early to freak out fully, but there are certainly some concerning factors that might lead to bigger issues with the playoffs right around the corner.
First and foremost, the Lakers (like all teams) are dealing with nagging injuries and the exhaustion that comes with nearing the end of an 82-game season. Even worse than most teams is their packed schedule stemming from rescheduled games they would’ve played while the fires were raging across the southland. The league also tends to backload the Lakers’ schedule so as to get them on national TV in optimal matchups after football has wrapped up. This year was particularly tough.
All that said, nobody cares about how tough the Lakers have it. Every team is dealing with their own issues, whether they be injuries, fatigue, or even … coaches being fired (seriously, what is going on in Memphis)?
LeBron James has been a shell of himself since he returned from a groin injury, having made one (1) three in the four games he’s played since coming back. In their most recent loss in Chicago to the Bulls, James had a truly baffling stretch of poor rotations and a brutal turnover that, frankly, cost the Lakers the game. His defense has waned pretty severely, too, which only compounds his offensive struggles.
Rui Hachimura has been in and out of the lineup as the Lakers try to navigate his knee injury. JJ Redick said he hopes Hachimura will be able to play from here on out, but Hachimura also admitted after his first game back that he’ll likely remain at 70-80% for the remainder of the season. The Lakers need more than the five field goal attempts Hachimura has averaged since his return and significantly more consistent defensive impact than he’s made.
Without those guys getting right, the Lakers simply do not have the depth to compete anywhere near the levels it looked like they might be able to immediately after landing Doncic.
The next concern is actually fairly polarizing among fans. Some believe they need to tidy up their defense. Others are getting nervous about the rudimentary offense the Lakers employ while Doncic, James and Austin Reaves share the floor. The fact that both factions are correct to varying degrees is probably the more pertinent point. Fact is: The Lakers haven’t been very good on either side of the ball.
Over their last 10 games, the Lakers rank 20th in offensive rating and 22nd defensively. They’re carrying the 23rd-worst net rating.
February and March boast some pretty telling statistically different stories.
In March, teams have shot 47.1% from the field, compared to the 42.3% they shot in February. Teams are shooting a collective 35.6% from three in March. They shot 32.6% from deep in February. The Lakers forced 14.8 turnovers per game in February, but are turning over their opponents only 12.1 times per game this month. The defense that was so disruptive a month ago has struggled to affect the opposition, which impacts the number of transition opportunities the Lakers can take advantage of.
Speaking of transition, in February, the Lakers averaged 19.2 points per game in transition. In March, that’s fallen all the way to a season-low 12 points per game. Opposing teams have seen an increase in transition scoring from 16.3 points per game in February to 20 per game this month.
If the Lakers are going to get anywhere near how they looked right before and right after the Doncic trade, at least most of those stats above are going to have to swing back around in their favor.
March is often a weird month in the NBA because teams are outright tanking for lottery position, saving up their legs for the postseason, exhausted from the long campaign to that point, or broken to the point of calling it a year. In the Lakers’ case, they’re dealing with some combination of everything but the tanking part, while also vying for the best playoff position they can attain.
Far and away, the top priority is getting and staying healthy. From there, it’s a matter of finding those good habits the Lakers were succeeding because of in February, when they went 10-2. So, no, it’s not time to panic yet, seeing as we’ve seen the Lakers play the way they need to. But they are running out of time to figure all that out, so the longer it takes to figure things out, the higher that louder that panic meter gets.
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