Stephen A. Smith compares LeBron James’ Lakers shy of shooters to Michael Jordan surrounded by shooters in Bulls: “This might be the worst season of LeBron James' career”

This season has been an abysmal one for LeBron James and the LA Lakers. After a 2-9 start to the season, many are doubting if this team can make the playoffs.

Although the team as a whole is struggling, there's one glaring issue — lack of shooting. The Lakers are shooting 29.3% from deep, which is the worst 3-point percentage in the league. ESPN's Stephen A. Smith said that this may be the worst roster LeBron has played with:

"I'm trying to figure out how in the year 2022, LeBron James could be a part of a squad where I can't point to one damn shooter on the squad unless you want me to say, Austin Reeves. This might be the worst season of LeBron James career."

Smith explained that great teams had shooters even in the era when the game was predominantly played in the paint:

"When I think about LeBron, I'm getting sadder each day. The Lakers are horrible because they can't shoot, it's not that they can't play, they can't shoot.

"When Isaiah Thomas was playing, Microwave Johnson was coming off the bench, you had Dumars in the starting backcourt with yourself. Bill Laimbeer could shoot jumpers from the elbow."

The comments came on a recent episode of "Know Mercy" with Stephen A. Smith on Spotify. In addition, check out a clip of Smith talking about the Lakers' lack of shooting in the video below.

Since the Lakers' back-to-back wins against the Denver Nuggets and the New Orleans Pelicans, they have dropped four straight. In addition, LeBron James got injured in the team's most recent defeat against the LA Clippers.

How can LeBron James and the Lakers fix their shooting problems?

Los Angeles Lakers v Los Angeles Clippers

With a poor 3-point percentage, the Lakers' immediate concern is how they can improve from beyond the arc. Although the team is eagerly waiting on Dennis Schroder's return, he is still sidelined for a few weeks.

With a career-high 38.5% 3-point percentage with the OKC Thunder in 2019-20, Schroder will provide some much-needed shooting. During his time with the Boston Celtics and the Houston Rockets last season, Schroder shot 34.4% from beyond the arc.

In the meantime, trade talks have begun to ramp up. With LeBron James and Anthony Davis dealing with injuries, analysts have predicted that the team will be looking to acquire some shooters via trade.

Stay tuned for updates as they become available.