The Los Angeles Lakers returned to be that team that terrorized opponents on the defensive end of the ball, becoming one of the best squads in the league in that department. However, the situation isn’t as sweet on the other side, as they have struggled to find their rhythm during the first week of the 2022-23 NBA season.
After an entertaining offseason, some people thought the Lakers could be a good team and start making statements soon, but things haven’t gone in their favor so far, as the team is one of the worst in the league with an 0-3 record.
This is anything but good for the Lakers, who are two completely different teams depending on the task they’re carrying out. While their defense is remarkable for a lot of reasons, their offense is simply terrible for the same.
Los Angeles Lakers Are Terrible On Offense This Season
Recently, StatMuse shared a comparison between the Lakers’ offense and defense to show how different this team is depending on what they’re doing on the court. While they have the 2nd best defensive rating in the entire league, they mightily struggled to score on their opponents.
The Lakers offense this season:
— 30th in offensive rating
— 30th in FG%
— 30th in 3P%
They have the league’s 5th best defensive rating. pic.twitter.com/sZIyvvgBZR
— StatMuse (@statmuse) October 23, 2022
– 30th in offensive rating
– 30th in FG%
– 30th in 3P%
Right now, they have a 97.2 offensive rating, being the only team in the entire NBA that doesn’t even have 100 in this item. The next team in the category is the Chicago Bulls, with 103.0. In field goal percentage, the Lakers also rank 30th, shooting for 45.2%, once again behind the Chicago Bulls, who boast 47.5%. As for the 3PT%, the results aren’t any different. They’re sitting at 21.2%, behind the Chicago Bulls’ 29.3%.
As you can see, this isn’t an easy situation for the Lakers. They have struggled to get things going on the offensive side, and things need to be changed before it’s too late. When it comes to defense, they have a 103.4 DEF RTG, enough to rank second, only behind the Milwaukee Bucks.
If they can become a two-way threat for rivals, this team can do incredible things, but right now, that’s a long, long shot.
