After an ugly start to the new season, LeBron James was candid when he spoke to the media on Tuesday.
The Lakers began their schedule against the Warriors and lost 123-109. They trailed by as many as 27 points against the reigning champions, and it was never a game that felt like it was within reach. Afterward, LeBron provided context about why Golden State was so easily able to cruise to victory.
He noted that although his team was able to take a ton of uncontested 3-pointers, that was likely not an accident by the Warriors. This was a feature, he noticed, and not a bug.
Sooo Lebron has some thoughts: "We're not a team constructed of great shooting. It's not like we're sitting here with a lot of lasers on our team…like if you had a bunch of underneath route runners, the quarterback's not throwing 20+ yard passes downfield." pic.twitter.com/n4yJGdbVqS
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) October 19, 2022
The Lakers were just 10-for-40 (25%) on 3-pointers against Golden State, and LeBron did not mince his words when he reflected on what happened:
“We’re getting great looks, but it could also be teams giving us great looks. To be completely honest, we’re not a team constructed of great shooting… It’s not like we’re sitting here with a lot of lasers on our team … But we’re not sitting here with a bunch of 40-plus career 3-point shooting guys.”
Those words may sound harsh, but it’s true. This roster doesn’t have great shooting, and it’s going to be a problem for nearly any lineup combination.
Golden State only had two possessions in which they had a defender within four feet of the 3-point shooter, per NBA.com. Meanwhile, they allowed 16 attempts defined as wide open (where the nearest defender was farther than six feet).
You can watch some of the examples below:
"it could also be teams giving us great looks"
this is honest and true https://t.co/hV2XfxfWuE pic.twitter.com/Tm4pRUva9u
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) October 19, 2022
The idea is that if defenders sag off the Lakers and leave them open, they’ll be tempted by the open space. But because they don’t have a ton of shooting talent, the shots won’t go in, and the best defense is simply nothing at all.
Unfortunately for LeBron, this strategy worked like a charm. According to Synergy, Los Angeles was 1-for-9 (11.1%) on uncontested catch-and-shoot attempts against Golden State.
That is simply not a recipe for winning basketball, and it’s not sustainable.
Having LeBron James on your team and not surrounding him with consistent shooters is the most egregious example of basketball malpractice.
— Colb (@___Colb___) October 19, 2022
During his media day availability before the season began, Lakers executive Rob Pelinka acknowledged this problem as well:
“I think in terms of shooting, we know that’s a needed skill. Some of that can come from outside by additional roster moves or roster moves during the season. But shooting growth can also come from within and we do feel like there are players on our team this year that you’re gonna see that growth.”
Pelinka knows that perimeter talent is a “needed skill” for this team, but he has yet to address the concern, and it was on full display during the loss on opening night.
There are rumors that Buddy Hield and Myles Turner could get traded to Los Angeles, but if that does not happen, it is tough to see a viable path to fix this mess.
If the loss was any indication of what is to come for the organization during the 2022-23 campaign, it could be another long season for the Lakers.
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