The Los Angeles Lakers suffered a devastating 103-115 loss to the Detroit Pistons last night, failing to pick up another road win as the team's 3-0 start became a 4-3 start within a week. The loss to the Pistons has given everyone a large enough sample size to judge the Lakers who have picked up some impressive wins this season while also falling to bad losses.
There are several problems plaguing the Lakers right now. Blaming coach JJ Redick might be an easy solution given the big game he talked after the team's hot start to the year, but there are deep roster issues that have reflected in the team's play so far. Even if Darvin Ham's coaching was flawed, this team is almost identical to what the Lakers had last season, so without talent upgrades, coach Redick is stuck playing a style of ball he can't maximize.
We have identified four key areas which are holding the Lakers back so far this season, and why these need to be addressed as soon as possible to give the Lakers the best chance at a successful season.
Lakers Have Worst Bench In The NBA
The Lakers are the only team in the NBA receiving under 20 points per game from their backups, ranking dead-last in bench scoring. Their bench is also the second-worst three-point shooting unit in the league, converting 7.9 attempts per game at a 27.3% rate. The only team worse than that is the Denver Nuggets, converting at a 25.4% rate.
The best bench piece for the Lakers might be Gabe Vincent, which is a worrying thought given Vincent has been a career backup who missed most of last season due to injury. Max Christie is still a developing prospect, Jalen Hood-Schifino is expected to be traded, Cam Reddish isn't offensively consistent, and Dalton Knecht is a rookie with a specific specialty in three-point shooting.
The Lakers' backups aren't great defensively either, ranking last in blocks with 0.9 per game, and being the only team averaging under one block per game. This unit's 2.1 steals per game would also be tied for second-worst in the league. With no real backup center outside Jaxson Hayes, who is under NBA investigation for a domestic incident, it's clear the lack of impactful backups has dug the Lakers into a hole.
Lakers Are Currently Among The Worst Defensive Teams
The Lakers have tried building a defense-oriented team in the past with Anthony Davis at the helm of the defensive unit, but the only time that worked was in 2019-20 when the team loaded up on defenders to create a unit that was impossible to score on. That's no longer the case, with the Lakers having a 117.4 defensive rating to start the season and allowing 118.4 points per game, ranking 24th in the NBA.
Teams are making 45.0 field goals per game against the Lakers, shooting at a 49.1% rate. This isn't sustainable for the franchise as they don't have the offensive talents to consistently make up for this porous defense on the other end. They're the third-worst team in paint defense and the worst from 5-9 feet, showing they have major holes to plug in their interior despite the presence of Davis.
Their 4.0 blocks per game are tied for 26th in the NBA with the Philadelphia 76ers, whose starting center is yet to play a minute this season. They rank 25th in steals with 7.1 per game and are also ranked 26th when it comes to rebounding in the NBA with 41.6 per game.
All these major defensive failings have contributed to the team's 4-3 start.
Lakers Are Last In The League With 3-Point Made Per Game
With the defensive issues we pointed out in the previous entry, there have to be some major offensive boosts which would explain the Lakers having a positive net rating and points per game this season. The simple answer to that is that they're one of the best teams when it comes to scoring in the paint and getting to the line, but the more expanded answer also has to account for how terrible they've been as a shooting unit.
The Lakers are averaging 29.7 three-pointers per game this season, dead last in the NBA as they're the only team averaging under 30 attempts per game. Their reduced volume hasn't created incredible accuracy either, with the Lakers ranked 17th in three-point percentage with 35.1% so far this season. The low volume of attempts with the middling efficiency places the Lakers last on three-pointers made per game this season with just 10.4 per game.
JJ Redick wanted to revolutionize the Lakers' offense by encouraging more open shots, but they clearly lack the personnel to be a high-powered perimeter offense. They're so much better at interior scoring that it would be silly to go away from that to optimize shotmaking, but the modern NBA has shown that every contender needs to be a major threat from deep to avoid collapsing defenses.
No Real Replacement For Anthony Davis
The Lakers' best player this season has easily been Anthony Davis, who is averaging 32.6 points, 11.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.7 blocks through seven games this season. He's played like a leading MVP and DPOY candidate, but he can't be in the conversation for the award if the Lakers don't have a competitive record.
Due to how important he has become to the team on both ends of the court, it seems they are completely rudderless when he's on the bench. As previously mentioned, the Lakers are one of the worst bench defenses in the NBA, with Jaxson Hayes not being capable of replacing Davis' multi-faceted impact, averaging 5.0 points and 4.0 rebounds.
Other backup bigs like Christian Wood and Jarred Vanderbilt are injured, leaving Hayes and two-way signee Christian Koloko as the only options. This isn't nearly good enough, as the team hopes to land a big man like Walker Kessler to supplement Davis.
With Davis picking up an ankle injury in the loss to the Pistons, the Lakers will have to start planning for a situation where Davis might have to miss games. Their current rotation of centers just won't cut it, so they need to find an upgrade on the market soon.
They will hope they won't be without Davis in the final game of their current road trip against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday before heading back to the Crypto.com Arena for a three-game home stand starting with a clash against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday.
