Los Angeles Lakers main problem

[Lebron23]

3 points shooting and spacing. Los Angeles Lakers real problem:

2022-23 season;

34.6% 3pt FG (25th in the league)
31.2 3pt attempts per game (26th)
10.8 3pt made per game (24th)

So far this season (2023-24)

35.8% 3pt FG (22nd)
30.5 3pt attempts per game (30th)
10.9 3pt made per game (28th)

[ShawkFactory]

Thank you for the inclusion of the full city in the title. I always get confused.

[Gotterdammerung]

Here's another take: Excepting for the 2019-20 season where the Lakers finished first, they finished:
2019: 10th, pre play-in
2021: 7th
2022: 11th
2023: 7th
2024: 10th

Even tho they have a few guys hitting between 38% and 40% of their threes (LBJ, Prince, Russell), they can't match opponents shot for shot. It's a volume thing - the Lakers are dead last in 3 point attempts.
OTOH, in that 2020 season, the Lakers were 11th in the league at offense, they were still bad from 3.

In every six season of LBJ on the Lakers, they've been 18th or worse in made threes, and 21st or worse in 3 point %.

Let's look at the factors on offense, then and now:
Effective FG%
2020: 6th
2024: 11th

Turnovers:
2020: 23rd
2024: 20th

Free Throws
2020: 15th
2024: 9th

There's only one major difference between that 2020 season and the current version: offensive rebounding.

The 2020 team was 5th, while the 2024 team is 29th.

:lebronamazed:

[SouBeachTalents]

That isn't good 3 points shooting, in today's era you needs 3 points shooting to win a championships. Michael Jordan had the worst 3 points shooting performance in all-stars history, the 1990's Chicago Bulls wouldn't be a dynasties today.

[Lebron23]

That isn't good g3 points shooting, in today's era you needs 3 points shooting to win a championships. Michael Jordan had the worst 3 points shooting performance in all-stars history, the 1990's Chicago Bulls wouldn't be a dynasties today.

Amen

[Axe]

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS90zhc6t756SrrLiYzcXf_J5qoGh48z gOjCg&usqp=CAU

[ArbitraryWater]

Thank you for the inclusion of the full city in the title. I always get confused.



Amen


:roll::roll::roll:

[Full Court]

Except that we all know what the Los Angeles Lakers REAL problem is.....










:lebroncry:

[90sgoat]

If Lakers need shooting, Mavs have Tim Hardaway Junior that will shoot every time he gets the ball. Currently 9 attempts pr. game at 36%.

Rui Hachimura for THJ?

Or on the small scale Seth Curry for Jarred Vanderbilt?

[Xiao Yao You]

If Lakers need shooting, Mavs have Tim Hardaway Junior that will shoot every time he gets the ball. Currently 9 attempts pr. game at 36%.

Rui Hachimura for THJ?

Or on the small scale Seth Curry for Jarred Vanderbilt?

36% isn't exactly good shooting

[90sgoat]

36% isn't exactly good shooting

It's on 9 attempts in 30 minutes and Timmy is not exactly picking his spots, he is just bombing as soon as he gets the ball.

[Xiao Yao You]

36 for career on 5.4 att so I'd say that is who he is

[90sgoat]

36 for career on 5.4 att so I'd say that is who he is

He's a streaky chucker, who fires them at a high clip with no real rhyme or reason to if he hits or not. He's not a catch and shoot guy and he's not a pull up dribbler.

[elementally morale]

Their main problem is that they have a player who is more than good enough to lead a team and not any more good enough to take a team somewhere important. You cannot trade LeBron, he is too good and even bigger a name. You just can't do it. But with him as the leader and at worst the 2nd best player you are not going to win much any more. It doesn't matter much who you add. Both LeBron and AD will play if healthy and that duo is capable but not good enough. And you can't even experiment much with your lineups because they do miss games but don't miss enough.

[iamgine]

Their main problem is their role players aren't good. Russell and Reaves are decent but could do better. The rest are trash this season.

They have the same problem as the lowly Hornets where Lamelo and Rozier are good but the rest of them are trash.

[elementally morale]

Their main problem is their role players aren't good.

Interesting. I think their main problem is that their top 2 players are not good enough. They are too good to to anything about it (make them sit, trade them) but not good enough any more to carry them. The organisation tried to bring in new role players but it somehow fails every season. And I'm far from being a hater as I think the NBA is more interesting if the Lakers are in the mix that counts. I think LeBron is just too big a name to blow the whole thing up. Had it not been him, we would see a rebuilding team by now. You just can't do anything with LeBron. He is still too good. And he is not good enough any more. it is more of the same with AD but at least in somewhat less of a spotlight.

And you just cannot make a big enough trade if you don't include one of those two.

[iamgine]

Interesting. I think their main problem is that their top 2 players are not good enough. They are too good to to anything about it (make them sit, trade them) but not good enough any more to carry them. The organisation tried to bring in new role players but it somehow fails every season. And I'm far from being a hater as I think the NBA is more interesting if the Lakers are in the mix that counts. I think LeBron is just too big a name to blow the whole thing up. Had it not been him, we would see a rebuilding team by now. You just can't do anything with LeBron. He is still too good. And he is not good enough any more.

Bron and AD are playing fine. Better than a lot of star duos. Can't expect every team to have a Jokic. Sometimes you can only have Kawhi/PG or Tatum/Porzi.

[elementally morale]

Bron and AD are playing fine. Better than a lot of star duos. Can't expect every team to have a Jokic. Sometimes you can only have Kawhi/PG or Tatum/Porzi.

From the games I've seen (probably not enough) this year it's not how well but how they play. It seems easier to plug in players to play with both the other duos you mentioned. For some reason the Lakers are and have been at the bottom half of the playoff-bound teams for several years now while role players come and go. Is it bad luck? Not good enough complimentary players? Maybe. But it's not something new this season.

[iamgine]

It seems easier to plug in players to play with both the other duos you mentioned. .

Why seems easier?

[ArbitraryWater]

From the games I've seen (probably not enough) this year it's not how well but how they play. It seems easier to plug in players to play with both the other duos you mentioned. For some reason the Lakers are and have been at the bottom half of the playoff-bound teams for several years now while role players come and go. Is it bad luck? Not good enough complimentary players? Maybe. But it's not something new this season.


Those 2 players won a title and reached another WCF lol. They were also the first seed in another year until AD went down.

[SATAN]

From the games I've seen (probably not enough) this year it's not how well but how they play. It seems easier to plug in players to play with both the other duos you mentioned. For some reason the Lakers are and have been at the bottom half of the playoff-bound teams for several years now while role players come and go. Is it bad luck? Not good enough complimentary players? Maybe. But it's not something new this season.

For some context, they had both been injured and banged up in the previous seasons. This season the team as a whole has never got it together since their plans basically went out the door as soon as the injuries started piling up, and I think that comes down to coaching also. The rotations have been a complete mess and now it seems their is some friction going on in the background. AD and Bron have been good but aren't gonna go for 50 points per game each while the other guys are struggling to find where they fit in. Somewhere along the way the team just kinda lost whatever they had going last season when they went in that insane run all the way to the WCF.

[elementally morale]

Why seems easier?

LeBron needs the ball too much to be effective, and I don't mean throughout the game but on a possession basis. AD is playing well if he is getting tons of touches, especially early in the game. He gets discouraged fast. With Kawhi/PG and Tatum/Porzingis I have the feeling they are more consistant in a partially lesser role and can go long stretches without the ball and still delivering later.

[elementally morale]

Those 2 players won a title and reached another WCF lol. They were also the first seed in another year until AD went down.

That ring was quite a long time ago. Last year they were as good in the playoffs as I can see them get. Which is good and not good enough. So the core stays the same. I wouldn't blow up the team so it's no surprise it is the way it is. They are too good to blow up. Plus you don't just trade LeBron. You don't do it.

But what is a realistic expectation at this point? What do you expect? Does this team look like a serious contender to you? To me it is very unlikely they finish in the top 6 in the reg. season.

[Full Court]

That ring was quite a long time ago. Last year they were as good in the playoffs as I can see them get. Which is good and not good enough. So the core stays the same. I wouldn't blow up the team so it's no surprise it is the way it is. They are too good to blow up. Plus you don't just trade LeBron. You don't do it.

But what is a realistic expectation at this point? What do you expect? Does this team look like a serious contender to you? To me it is very unlikely they finish in the top 6 in the reg. season.

You do if you want the team to go anywhere.

[elementally morale]

You do if you want the team to go anywhere.

I wouldn't do it. The team may or may not win slightly more games next year if you do it but it buries your franchise. It's not healthy players can have such an impact but it is what it is. LeBron is untouchable from a marketing and PR standpoint. And if you DO trade him it's still a tossup. No guarantees the team will get better. You will not get Jokic, Embiid or Giannis for LeBron. And I feel AD is very hard to trade, too. He is very good when he is good but kind of unreliable. So I think the team is stuck for this season and next.

[TeflonDonTrump]

Lebron james

[Jasper]

Hamis working with :

1 old antique bron

2 broke shape AD

3 bunch of bench players

They are under .500 and out of the playoffs...:yaohappy:

[Manny98]

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS90zhc6t756SrrLiYzcXf_J5qoGh48z gOjCg&usqp=CAU
Lakers problems start and finish with this pathetic excuse for a coach

[Airupthere]

That isn't good 3 points shooting, in today's era you needs 3 points shooting to win a championships. Michael Jordan had the worst 3 points shooting performance in all-stars history, the 1990's Chicago Bulls wouldn't be a dynasties today.


You will not dead of heart attacked. Good posts.

[Axe]

Lakers problems start and finish with this pathetic excuse for a coach
Still, you can't discount the fact that a playoff run in the wcf for a play-in team with a rookie coach is good tho. I'm just not sure why he's so lousy with lineups nowadays.

[Street Hunger]

Why does it feel like a Lakers upside is so limited this year