The Los Angeles Lakers started the new season with a loss, something many expected. It wasn’t just the fact that the Lakers aren’t very good, but also that they were playing the reigning NBA champions, the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors gave the Lakers a few chances to stay in the game or even make their mark on it early, but a big third quarter was enough to see them comfortably take the victory.
One of the most glaring issues with the Lakers throughout the night was their lack of shooting. The Lakers shot below 45% from the field, which is abysmal, but the number for their three-point shooting is even worse. The team made just 10 out of 40 attempts, and several of those three-pointers were lightly contested or completely open. A three-point shooting percentage of 25% is terrible in the modern NBA, and even LeBron James admitted it was a concern after the game.
“We’re getting great looks, but it could also be teams giving us great looks. To be completely honest, we’re not a team that’s constructed of great shooting. That’s just (what) the truth of the matter is. It’s not like we’re sitting here with a lot of lasers on our team… we’re not sitting here with a bunch of 40+ career three-point shooting guys.”
This was a brutal answer from LeBron James and one that is unlikely to inspire much confidence among his teammates. And while he may be right about the fact that the Lakers don’t have the shooting that has become a staple of the modern NBA, that’s not the only way the team can win.
The Lakers Can Win Even Without Good Shooters
This sounds like a bizarre thing to say in the modern NBA, where teams shoot three-pointers at a higher clip than ever before. But there are things that the Lakers have the personnel for that could see them find success. The first thing is for the players to commit to defense. Patrick Beverley and Anthony Davis have been known for their defense, while Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, and others have shown the ability to play it at a high level. That can be a huge factor for the team if Darvin Ham can get them to buy in.
The second way to go about it would be for the Lakers to play a more old-school brand of basketball on offense. Playing drive-heavy basketball, and trying for midrange and lay-ups that defenses might give up, would work. Anthony Davis, LeBron James, and Dennis Schroder are all capable of that, AD averaged 45% from 10-14 feet in the 2019-20 season. And those drives would create shots that are more open for three, which makes them likelier to fall than not.
They can also play the pick-and-roll with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, or other such combinations, their quality, and vision would make it a lethal combination. In 2020, LeBron James was among those that was very effective as a ball-handler in the pick-and-roll, averaging a point per possession when he did so. This could also be an avenue for the team to explore. It’s difficult for any team to win without outside shooting in the modern game, but with few other options, the Lakers simply have to try.
