The Los Angeles Lakers seem to be struggling at the worst point in time. After the roster had everyone questioning their viability in a league shifting towards shooting and athleticism, a hot start had fans believing that the team could buck the trend entirely. However, December has brought them a chilling reality.
As they have fallen in their standings and the record has taken a hit, it is hard to see a way out for the franchise. Now, with Austin Reaves set to miss close to a month, the situation might get even worse in the coming weeks. Amidst all the turmoil, one analyst has attempted to offer a potential pathway for the roster.
Los Angeles Lakers Need a Lifeline
At the start of December, with a win over the New Orleans Pelicans, the Lakers moved into a record of 15-4. With Luka Dončić playing at an MVP level and the pieces fitting together perfectly, it seemed like they had gotten the recipe down to a tee.
Unfortunately, that came to a halt in December. Losing six of their last 10, the team has fallen to a mediocre 19-10 record, with their recent three-game skid among the worst stretches for any team across the NBA.
Losing by double digits in their last three games, they’ve been outscored by 62 in that timeframe. In their loss to the Houston Rockets on Christmas Day, they failed to cross the 100-point mark, even with the trio of LeBron James, Austin Reaves, and Dončić playing on the court together.
After the game, head coach JJ Redick blasted the roster, claiming that players weren’t consistently putting in the necessary energy or effort. The team, which seemed to be cruising just a few weeks ago, was blowing apart at the seams.
But an attitude adjustment might not be enough on its own to change the Lakers’ fortunes. Some are calling for the removal of general manager Rob Pelinka for the roster construction, while others have different ideas.
Insider Jovan Buha, who has had a pulse on Los Angeles for a long while, has offered his solution for the team’s struggles. “JJ has to look in the mirror and ask himself, ‘Why are the team’s most played lineups so bad?'”
Not just Redick, though, Buha believed that the problems with roster construction, which had plagued the team with struggles in shooting, athleticism, health, and defense, had been ongoing for half a decade, and a change was necessary.
“You have to look at the leaders with Luka and LeBron, and their effort level and their care level need to be better, their buy-in defensively needs to be better.” The biggest change, though, he rationed was “It’s time to retire this starting group.”
Specifically, he pointed to the trio of James, Dončić, and Rui Hachimura sharing the court as a disaster on the defensive side of the ball, where the three were offering virtually no resistance.
As he put it simply, “If your 2-3-4 are Luka, LeBron, and Rui, you’re going to get lit up, and you just don’t have a chance against good teams.” With the status and contract of James and Dončić, the only real salve here might be moving Hachimura, or finding a better wing defender while keeping his upside as a shooter on the roster.
