The first two games of the 2023-24 season are in the books for the Los Angeles Lakers, and they have a 1-1 record after losing to the Denver Nuggets on opening night and beating the Phoenix Suns on Thursday. While it is too early to draw any real conclusions, it isn’t too early to identity potential weaknesses or concerns.
For the first three quarters of Thursday’s game, Los Angeles looked punchless. Even though the Suns were very shorthanded without Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, they outclassed LeBron James and company. The Lakers had trouble stringing together defensive stops, and even when they did, they couldn’t get the ball back.
They did overcome a 12-point deficit to start the fourth quarter and won the old-fashioned way, 100-95, but some would say they proved absolutely nothing in doing so.
Even if they did prove they can win despite playing very poorly, three significant concerns have emerged that they will need to rectify as soon as possible.