– In our last 11 games, we’ve played 3 teams who currently have winning records. Got smoked by every single one of them. The month of December will tell us where we really stand among contenders…schedule gets alot tougher.
– We only shot 15 free throws in that Suns game; Luka & Reaves average 21 per game just between the 2 of them. We rely waaaayyyy too much on the whistle. Not a good sign for the playoffs when we all know physical play is rewarded much more than during the regular season.
– Lebron hasn’t looked right since he missed all those games back in March…where we pretty much played .500 ball the rest of the way and got booted from the playoffs in the 1st round. He was a true liability in that Suns game. Maybe he needs more rest? idk
– OKC. Everybody else is just playing for 2nd place. They probably can’t keep up this pace or win 73 games, but they don’t need to. They’ve done all this and haven’t even had their full roster all season. Their schedule will also get tougher but this team just looks unstoppable. That playoff experience from last season was invaluable.
– Trades. If we aren’t beating OKC (we ain’t) then I don’t want to see us going “all in” this season by picking up older dudes. Only trades I want to see are those that make us younger, faster, and more athletic.
– Rui. His inconsistent aggression is a problem. Sometimes he starts a game and I’m saying “Damn…Rui’s in his bag tonight!”. Then he disappears. Other nights, you don’t even realize he’s on the floor. You’re not going to get a buncha plays run for you as the 4th or 5th scoring option; you’ve gotta take the bull by the horns and make the most of every opportunity. It’s almost as if the coaches & the players don’t have faith in him.
—– Bill Parcells used to say “You are who your record says you are.” But there’s also a saying that states “Winning is the world’s greatest deodorant.” I ain’t saying we stink, but I feel like our record is masking alotta issues that may bite us in the bootay come playoff time. Again, these next few weeks should give us a clearer picture—–
I would say that, to this point, the Lakers have taken care of business as expected. We’re not built to be an elite defensive team but to outscore teams. The problem is, as you pointed out and I’ve been harping on for the last couple weeks, is that a huge chunk of our points comes from the stripe. That ship won’t sail for very long, even in the regular season.
At some point we need to run plays for Rui and Ayton. Hachimura is a prisoner of his own deference, a huge reason I don’t think we’ll extend him and makes him harder to move except his $$$ expires this summer.
Our 2 best guys play the “he fouled me when I drifted into him!” game, that’s a problem and I wish they would just take the ball to the rim a lot harder rather than try and bait the D.
The bench is a bigger issue in the regular season, but it’s a big one. We saw how few guys Redick is comfortable playing in the playoffs so not too worried about Jax, Knecht, etc.
OKC has a decent FRP coming via the Clippers this summer. They’re a huge problem for the next decade and no single trade can or will address it. Better to see what shakes loose when a team or 3 inevitably blows it up this summer.
Great post, Mongo. Lakers definitely have their kryptonite.
Lakers are what they are. Their need for a trade to plug their major holes is going to become more apparent as we get deeper into the schedule. I agree 100% that we should not use our draft capital for anybody over 30, including Giannis.
I’m also starting to believe the key to having a chance to build a roster to compete with OKC is prioritizing free agency rather than trades. What depth we create last offseason was due to not having to give up players and picks in free agency.
Right now, we need to let LeBron and maybe Vincent and Kleber walk away for nothing to open up mega cap space. There aren’t any superstars but there are some elite role players, which is exactly what we need to surround Luka with to win.