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The LA Lakers started the new season with two straight defeats.
In their season opener on Tuesday, the Lakers lost 123-109 to the reigning champions Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. The Lakers lost 103-97 to their city rivals, the LA Clippers, in a hard-fought battle on Thursday.
In this article, we examine three things the 17-time NBA champions should improve on after their poor start:
1. Shooting woes
Last season, the LA Lakers struggled from beyond the arc and that was one of their weak links in a disappointing campaign.
In the offseason, the franchise attempted to address the issue by replacing the majority of the roster. However, no improvement has been seen so far this season.
After going 10-for-40 from deep against Golden State on Tuesday, the Lakers shot just 20% from 3-point range vs. the Clippers.
Russell Westbrook (0-of-11 FGs, 0-for-6 3-pt FG), Patrick Beverley (1-for-7 FG, 1-of-6 3-pt FG) and Kendrick Nunn (0-for-7 FG, 0-of-4 3-pt FG) all shot poorly vs. the Clippers.
“We’ve all had bad shooting nights,” LeBron James said afterwards, via NBA.com. “I’ve had bad shooting nights. Every person in this league had bad shooting nights. Who cares. [Westbrook] played a great game. Defensively, he was in tune and locked in. He just didn’t make any shots."
The Lakers improved their defense compared to their season opener, forcing 23 turnovers. However, their inconsistent shooting prevented them from scoring in transition.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis want to see their teammates keep their confidence up despite the shooting struggles.
Yet, if they keep shooting at such a low percentage from beyond the arc, this will become their weak link just like it was last season.
With just 19-for-85 from 3 in the first two games, it seems the build-up of the roster was unsuccessful. The team failed to bring in sharpshooters to play alongside James and Davis.
Even if it is still too early in the season, there is still plenty of work to be done to fix the 3-point shooting woes.
2. Russell Westbrook's role
The situation with the NBA superstar and former MVP remains complicated. The LA Lakers wanted to trade him in the offseason, but they failed to find the ideal deal.
Now that he is with the team, he is still trying to find his place in the rotation. It's clear he doesn't gel with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, as all three of them are ball-dominant players.
Darvin Ham attempted to bring Westbrook off the bench in the preseason finale vs. the Sacramento Kings. However, he left the floor with a hamstring injury.
The superstar guard said on Tuesday that his bench role in the preseason finale “absolutely” contributed to his hamstring injury.
Russell Westbrook had a discussion with Ham and the two sides moved on from that.
Yet, this could be an issue throughout the season. Darvin Ham will need to make a decision on whether he will have a definitive starting lineup or will keep his options open.
In the loss to the Clippers, Westbrook went 0-for-11 from the field after going 7-for-12 in the defeat to the Warriors on Tuesday.
3. LA Lakers should get more points from their bench
The LA Lakers rely on their big three of James, Davis and Westbrook, who score the majority of the points.
Against the Warriors, they combined for 77 points, while they scored a combined 47 vs. the Clippers, mostly because Westbrook posted just two points.
In their two games so far, the LA Lakers have seen very poor offensive productivity from their bench. Against the Clippers, they got just 19 bench points, compared to the Clippers' 43. Against the Warriors, they had 24 bench points, but Golden State had 41.
Such numbers bring extra trouble for Ham, as they force James and Davis to take more shots via iso plays.
The situation will likely improve with the return of Dennis Schroder and Thomas Bryant in November, with both players rehabbing from finger surgeries.
Until this happens, though, the LA Lakers will need more help from their bench, starting with a home game vs. the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday.
