The recipe for success with LeBron James on your team has always been straightforward. Due to LeBron’s extremely varied offensive skill set, he can act as a one-man machine when a team is looking to score. He has a deadly inside game, a solid mid-range game, and an improving three-point game. However, his success has always come from his drives to the basket.
As LeBron has gotten older, he has perfected his playmaking. Many of these drives to the rims attract multiple defenders, but LeBron can always find the open man for a shot. As a result, James has assisted on 3,449 three-point shots alone, more than the 3,137 Stephen Curry has made as of this morning. Chris Paul also has more assists to three-pointers than Curry has made three-pointers.
LeBron James has assisted on more 3s than Stephen Curry has made.
The Lakers built a team around him with no shooting. https://t.co/A890bA9IsX pic.twitter.com/sBMsF5fLbB
— Kirk Goldsberry (@kirkgoldsberry) October 26, 2022
Looking at this stat, it is mindblowing to see the current Lakers roster and how it has been made. There is no shooting on this roster to help use LeBron’s best skill at this stage in his career.
Would Surrounding LeBron With Shooters Be Enough?
Everyone has criticized the shooting of the Lakers to the point where it’s gotten repetitive. Their loss against the Denver Nuggets proved that the issue hasn’t been Russell Westbrook but just the roster construction.
If the Lakers could surround LeBron with capable shooters, they definitely would be in a better position than 0-4. Their improved defense is a good sign, but they could have had a strong offense too if the front office didn’t undo years of building a roster to make short-term fixes that have doomed the Lakers.
The short-term fixes have come back to haunt them, which explains their hesitance in making a short-term fix this time around by trading Westbrook and 2 first-round picks away. They had received strong offers from the likes of the Utah Jazz, but are still waiting to see how the roster plays out before they make a move.
