The Los Angeles Lakers have looked shaky through the first three games of the NBA season. With preseason also being included, there are clear traits on the current Lakers roster that need to be worked out for this team to live up to the hype as one of the best teams in the West.
They opened their season with a loss to the defending champions, the Denver Nuggets. While they were competitive, they did look a step behind the reigning champs the entire night. Their second game was a crunch-time win over the Suns, who didn’t have Devin Booker or Bradley Beal. Their latest game came last night when they lost to the Kings in an OT thriller that saw Domantas Sabonis foul out and De’Aaron Fox get injured.
After seeing the Lakers play three high-octane games against playoff-caliber opposition, what are the five key takeaways from the team so far?
5. Darvin Ham Hasn’t Figured Out His Rotations
Last season, the Lakers had one of the most fluid starting lineups in the NBA, often switching up starters due to form and injury. While the starting lineups have been relatively consistent, the Lakers’ rotations have been all over the place through the first three games. The Nuggets game saw the team have very little success in non-LeBron lineups, with James leading a fourth-quarter run that cut the Nuggets’ lead to four. However, the Lakers had a misguided rotation plan for James that saw them take him out just for the lead to balloon shortly after.
The Kings game was the most egregious, as the Lakers lineups were all over the place. Austin Reaves was benched for most of the second half after a very poor shooting night. But that led to extended minutes for Gabe Vincent, who has been wholly uninspiring this season. James’ minutes restriction has also disappeared, and Christian Wood spends most of his time on the bench despite proving to be one of their more potent offensive options.
Darvin Ham admitted to not having the right rotations in place after the Kings’ loss, so here’s hoping the Lakers can come up with a game plan and also stick to it throughout the game.
4. Gabe Vincent Is Not Playing Well
The biggest contract the Lakers handed out to a free agent came with Gabe Vincent, who received $33 million over three years from the Lakers to be one of the key guards in their rotation. Given the impact Dennis Schroder had on the team in the playoffs, the Lakers needed to get a guard that could replicate that impact. From hoping to earn a starting spot on the Lakers, Vincent has regressed into being one of the worst players on the court.
He’s averaging a paltry 5.0 points and 3.3 assists through three games, yet to make a single three-pointer in Lakers colors. Even though Vincent’s impact can’t fully be quantified with stats, the eye test hasn’t lied either. He looks uncomfortable on the court and has been struggling to adjust to the Lakers playbook. His defense has been below average. But the biggest problem has been his shot, as Vincent has been completely unplayable as a floor-spacing option.
The Lakers need Vincent to be playing far better for him to command a rotational spot on the franchise. Soon enough, Coach Ham may find value in either upgrading from Vincent in a trade or giving rookie Jalen Hood-Schifino an opportunity.
3. The Lakers Defense Has Been Unimpressive
The defining feature of this Lakers team in the 2023 Playoffs was their gritty defense. The entire team was locked in and Anthony Davis looked like the biggest defensive monster in the NBA. While they have maintained those elements, the Lakers just haven’t been competitive defensively so far. Paint and rim protection has been solid with Davis showing his value, but the team has looked lost on the perimeter and has been rained on by their three opponents.
This is the one aspect of their team the Lakers can address with relative ease. Jarred Vanderbilt is one of their best defenders and is currently out injured. They also played three of the most potent offensive teams in the NBA in this stretch, so they’re bound to look better on this front as the season progresses.
The Lakers’ defense can be suffocating when the players are locked in, as the Suns found out in the fourth quarter of their game against LA. They scored just 11 points in that quarter and blew a 12-point lead in the fourth. We didn’t see that version of their defense against the Nuggets and Kings, with both teams comfortably outscoring the Lakers. This is easily addressable and likely gets fixed with more continuity.
2. Anthony Davis Must Step Up
Anthony Davis is supposed to be the leading star of the Lakers. He is in his prime and was rewarded with a gigantic contract extension this summer, but he hasn’t lived up to the billing so far this season. Despite dominant games against the Suns and Kings, Davis has not been the superstar the Lakers have needed him to be. His performance against the Nuggets was inexcusable, as he went 0-6 from the field in the second half and was a non-factor for the Lakers struggling offense.
He had a big game against the Suns and dropped 36 points before continuing that form into their game against the Kings with 30 points. However, in both games, Davis wasn’t the one dominating late-game situations. Against the Kings, Davis wasn’t even getting the ball in OT as the franchise settled for bailout LeBron buckets or missing wide-open three. Against a team like the Kings that don’t have interior defense and were missing Sabonis in OT, Davis should’ve been the star to earn the win for the Lakers.
His numbers are very good and Davis’ performances through the first half in every game have been phenomenal. But until he addresses the clear drop-off he’s having in the second halves of games, the Lakers will not be one of the top teams in the West. His average of 25.7 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks through three games speaks highly of what he’s doing, but the results need to follow.
1. LeBron James Is Old, Good, But Not Enough For The Lakers
We are in Year 21 of LeBron James‘ illustrious career and can’t complain about what he’s doing on the court. At an age where all previous players were end-of-the-bench veterans, James is still the star man for the Lakers. He kept the Lakers competitive against the Nuggets, clinched the win over the Suns, and hit the game-tying bucket that sent the Kings to OT. Even in OT, James continued to contribute with clutch buckets before his team trailed off.
James is averaging 23.0 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 7.3 assists so far, with a clear emphasis on taking over late in games. However, until we get to late-game situations, the Lakers tend to not play as seriously as required. They’ve trailed going into halftime in every single game, despite AD giving the team his best minutes during these stretches. James has a plus-minus of +24 so far this season, showing his impact in three games.
Even though James wants to be the same LeBron that forced very poor rosters to the Finals, he isn’t that guy anymore. He needs the roster to support him and he needs Anthony Davis to take the load off him. He’s still an All-NBA player, but not one that can (or should) be expected to play 40 minutes a night and drag the team out of losing situations.
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