The Los Angeles Lakers have not gotten off to an optimal start during the 2021-22 NBA season.
Though the Lakers had championship aspirations entering the year, the collective play has not resembled that caliber of a team.
Los Angeles has been accustomed to blowing double-digit leads and losing in blowouts to talented teams, which has led to the 11-11 record it has through 22 games.
Injuries to key personnel have certainly been a factor, but the Lakers have not often played with the energy and intensity required to win games.
The slow start to the year has resulted in a failing grade for the team through the first quarter of the campaign, via Zach Harper of The Athletic (paid subscription):
It’s only a D- because you have to give the Los Angeles Lakers a little bit of a break with LeBron James being out as much as he was. The Lakers simply look nothing like the championship contender they’re supposed to be. LeBron’s defense is lacking. Anthony Davis has been bailing out teams all season long by settling for a jumper he isn’t hitting.
Russell Westbrook is getting scapegoated, and while he’s had his issues, the issues of this team run a lot deeper. They don’t play defense like we’re used to. They don’t play offense to their talents’ abilities. And the Lakers are playing dumb basketball considering the basketball IQ and veteran experience throughout this roster. This could end up being a disaster, but technically there’s still time to fix what ails them.
There is still time for the Lakers to turn things around, but improvements will have to start happening now rather than later.
[listicle id=53475]
[mm-video type=video id=01fk14jkp9s7a6czq7z1 playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01eqbvq570kgj8vfs7 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fk14jkp9s7a6czq7z1/01fk14jkp9s7a6czq7z1-7c0bef8f820efe8f010b31c48bb7625f.jpg]