Whether intentional or unintentional, the Los Angeles Lakers are always one of the teams at the forefront of NBA coverage. Akin to the Dallas Cowboys or New York Yankees in their respective sports, the Lakers, never without a shortage of stars on the roster, have always held one of the top spots when it comes to coverage and visibility - the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics being the other preeminent franchises when it comes to such factors.
Because of this, the franchise is always under a microscope. Things became even more magnified in 2018 when LeBron James decided to sign with the team, continuing a long run of high profile, generational players that have passed through.
The team won 37 games in James' first season of 2018-2019, won the championship in 2020 (52 wins), lost in the first round in 2021 (42 wins), missed the playoffs in 2022 (33 wins), lost in the Western Conference Finals in 2022 (43 wins), and won 47 games last season (lost in the first round).
Expectations are naturally high because one, it is the Lakers, and two, because LeBron James is your superstar. No matter how old James gets as he still plays at a remarkably high level for someone about to be turn 40 in basically four weeks, the expectation is still to compete for titles. That is the precedent that Jerry Buss set and what his daughter Jeanie has continued. Fair or not - it is, in fact, unfair for fans to put that type of pressure on James, a man who is literally twice the age of some of his opponents - it is the case in Los Angeles. Alternatively, you could say that there is always pressure on a player, no matter the age, who is considered one of the best to ever play. Add in former sharpshooter J.J. Redick being a first-year head coach, and the pressure builds another notch. A rookie coach with a veteran staff (Nate McMillian, Scott Brooks) is leading a team with an aging megastar - odd to say considering James is still averaging 23.3 points, 9.2 assists and 8.1 rebounds on 51 percent - and another star and top 75 player in Anthony Davis.
Sprinkle in sniper rookie Dalton Knecht (who has had consecutive games of 27 and 37 points) and play-making guard Austin Reaves, and the Lakers have some talent to work with.
So far, though, there have been mixed results.
D'Angelo Russell, a 69-game starter last season who averaged 18 points on 46 percent shooting, is shooting just 38 percent and is now coming off the bench.
The team started 3-0, then lost four-of-their-next-five, reeled off six straight, and now have lost three consecutive - the last two in blowout fashion 127-102 at home vs. the Denver Nuggets and Tuesday night, 127-100, on the road in Phoenix.
Davis put up 25 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists, and had 4 blocks on 10-for-19 shooting. James was 7-for-16 (2-for-7 from downtown) for 18 points and had 10 assists and 8 rebounds. Reaves scored 15 points on 6-for-12, Russell 16 points on 5-for-13 (1-for-6 from downtown). Knecht, in 19 minutes, was 2-for-7 for 7 points. He is questionable for Wednesday's game vs. the San Antonio Spurs with a right quad contusion.
Kevin Durant played his first game since November 8, and scored 23 points on 9-for-17. Devin Booker scored 26 and had 10 assists on 10-for-17, and Bradley Beal, on 10-for-15, put up 23 points. The Suns shot 52 percent (42 from deep). The Lakers shot 44 percent (24 from deep).
The Lakers are 24th in points allowed per game (117.5). The team is also 27th in defensive rating. Last season, in the same category, they were 17th, and 12th the season before. They were 21st in 2021-2022, but first in 2020-2021, and third in 2019-2020, the season that they won the championship.
Granted, different players reside now than back then. There is no additional paint protection from Dwight Howard or Javale McGee (this year's Lakers should and probably will be in the market, as February approaches, for additional interior help for Davis), no Alex Caruso or Kentavious Caldwell-Pope on the wing (they should, and probably will, be in the market for perimeter guard help, too). Reaves and Knecht are not known for their defense and neither is Russell. Truly, Davis, Cam Reddish, and Jarred Vanderbilt, the latter who has yet to play this season, are the most defensively-inclined players on the team. James has been a very good defender throughout his career and can still defend well in the post, but asking a guy who is pushing 40 to be one of your best defenders just adds, once again, to the pressure. Frankly, it's unreasonable.
Despite the NBA's shift in the last decade to a more free-flowing, fast pace style where 3-point shots have replaced the mid-range jump shot as the common go-to, the teams that are most successful still hang their hats on the defensive side of the ball. More so than on the offensive end (the Lakers are fourth in offensive rating, and Tuesday's 100-point output was their lowest of the season), the Laker defense is what needs to improve. In their losses, they have given up 109, 115, 119, 127, 131 and 134 (twice).
Davis has been great offensively, with just two games under 48 percent shooting. He is doing work on the defensive end as well with over two blocks on average. Truthfully, he needs to produce the way that he is for the Lakers to reach their fullest potential. No longer should they be so heavily reliant on James, and Davis (29.8 points, 11.4 rebounds, 2.1 blocks on 55 percent shooting) has delivered this season. Reaves is averaging 45 percent shooting but has had nights of 3-for-12, 3-for-15, 5-for-14, and 4-for-13. Ironically, just one of those games was a loss, a 119-118 defeat on November 21 in which Franz Wagner hit a game-winning triple to seal the win for the Orlando Magic. In the game where Reaves was 3-for-15, a 104-99 win against the New Orleans Pelicans, Davis scored 31 and Knecht put up 27 to pick up the slack.
From 3-0, to 4-4, to 10-4 and now 10-7, The Lakers' season just 17 games in reads like a scale from summer to Thanksgiving to Christmas time.
Up and down.
That will need to change as the season wears on. Thankfully, they have 65 games to even things out.
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