Twenty games into their schedule, the Los Angeles Lakers hold a disappointing 11-9 record. While they have had some moments of scattered excellence, as well as some wins against some very good teams, they are very much a work in progress.
Despite boasting arguably the top superstar duo in the NBA in LeBron James and Anthony Davis, as well as some very capable role players and complementary players, they seem to be underperforming. This begs the question of what’s wrong with them and what their biggest problem is.
Some would say injuries. Yes, Jarred Vanderbilt, Cam Reddish, Gabe Vincent and Rui Hachimura, to name a few players, have missed significant time with various ailments. Given that L.A., as presently constituted, has still only been together for about four months, these ailments have thrown a monkey wrench into its efforts to build chemistry. However, the team has had enough healthy players to win more often than it has.
Some would say defensive rebounding. While that was a problem very recently, and while the Lakers still rank last in opponents’ second-chance points, they actually rank ninth in defensive rebound percentage, and their overall defense hasn’t been that bad either. In fact, in their last 12 games, they rank seventh in defensive rating and have won eight of those contests.
Some would say slow starts, but the team has improved in that area over the last two or three weeks.
Now that almost exactly a quarter of the season is in the books for the Lakers, it’s clear their biggest deficiency is their lack of 3-point shooting.
The Lakers can't throw a pea in the ocean
Through Thursday’s ugly 133-110 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Lakers rank just 29th in 3-point shooting percentage. The only team worse than them in that department is the Memphis Grizzlies, a team that has the second-worst record in the Western Conference.
While James is shooting the ball at an outstanding rate from downtown, as is starting point guard D’Angelo Russell, no one else has consistently pulled his own weight. Hachimura is at 42.9% from that distance, but he’s not a high-volume 3-point shooter.
The main culprits in this category are Austin Reaves, Taurean Prince and Christian Wood. Reaves shot 39.8% from downtown last season, but he’s at just 31.6% this season. Prince and Wood have historically been good outside shooters, but they’re at 32.5% and 26.9%, respectively, so far this year.
The Lakers lack players who can not only consistently hit open 3-pointers off passes from teammates, but also players who can hit contested 3-pointers either off passes or off the bounce themselves.
This weakness has hurt the Lakers in several ways
When a basketball team lacks consistent 3-point snipers, opposing defenses are able to sag into the paint and create congestion. For the Lakers, that means fewer driving lanes for James and less space for Davis to do his damage.
Teams have taken to fronting and double-teaming Davis, as well as using zone defenses against L.A. The team has been unable to make teams pay for such defensive schemes by making it rain from downtown.
The modern NBA has gotten very tough and competitive because of the immense depth of good and great 3-point shooters, especially those who can hit contested threes, as well as the up-tempo offenses that have proliferated. As a result, when an opposing team is going on a run, defense isn’t enough to stop or slow down that run.
The only real answer to such runs is to go back at those opponents offensively and fight fire with fire. It isn’t enough to fast-break against them and get layups — teams must fight back with their own 3-point shooting.
In addition, it isn’t enough anymore to simply shoot a good percentage from deep — teams must add volume to that high efficiency. In their Nov. 15 loss to the Sacramento Kings, the Lakers actually shot a higher percentage than Sacramento from 3-point land. However, Sacramento got up 15 more 3-point attempts, which resulted in five more 3-point makes for it. Those 15 points accounted for the final margin of victory.
The Lakers need an all-hands-on-deck to solve this problem. If that doesn’t happen, they will have to look to the trade market before it’s too late.
A glimmer of offensive hope?
If the Lakers find a way to fix their 3-point shooting woes, they could have a chance at becoming a very good team again, especially given their improved defense of late.
Believe it or not, they rank fifth in overall field-goal percentage. They also still rank high in their old offensive mainstays — they’re sixth in points in the paint per game, sixth in free throw attempts per game and eighth in fast-break points per game.
Therefore, one has to conclude that if the Lakers simply become an average 3-point shooting team while also improving their last-place rank in 3-point attempts per contest, they would significantly improve on being 18th in points per game and 23rd in offensive efficiency.
Perhaps all they need to truly revive their championship aspirations is some good health and some more snipers.
