Coming out of the All-Star break, the Los Angeles Lakers have looked like a considerably weaker team than their current position would suggest. Despite having a 34-24 record, placing sixth in the West, the Purple and Gold have been underwhelming.
While the Lakers’ recent outings have been particularly disappointing, a report by NBA analyst Jason Timpf on an episode of “The Colin Cowherd Podcast” revealed something far more concerning.
“They are below .500 against anybody that is not in the bottom third of the NBA,” Timpf stated. “Even if you zoom in on it, even against the top 10 teams in point differential in the NBA, they [Lakers] are getting outscored by 13 points per game, which ranks 28th in the NBA. Only the Wizards and that Brooklyn Nets team have been worse when they’re playing the good teams.”
“Just look at the benchmark tests. Just the measuring sticks,” he continued. “The top nine teams are all the teams you’d expect to see among contenders. Detroit’s number one, Minnesota’s number two… OKC, Houston, San Antonio, Boston, Cleveland, New York, and Denver. That’s what you’d expect to see, and then all the way down at number 28 is the Lakers.”
Timpf’s report effectively highlights the Lakers’ shortcomings against the league’s top teams. Upon examining L.A.’s performance against the aforementioned teams this season, the Lakers post an abysmal 4-11 record, with most of their wins coming early in the campaign.
To add to this, the Lakers have had some of their worst outings when facing these teams, including a notable 30-point blowout loss to the Cavaliers. While this may validate their low rank in point differentials, the fact that losing to contenders is becoming a habit is a greater concern.
Can The Lakers Turn Their Season Around?
The Lakers’ 113-110 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night marks their third consecutive defeat. Considering that the team has failed to secure a win despite coming out of the All-Star break with a healthy roster, it may be a good time to be alarmed.
The Purple and Gold look disjointed. While the star trio possesses tremendous potential, their chemistry issues have been apparent. When also factoring in the front office’s failure to bring in reinforcements, L.A.’s bench and defensive problems have gone unanswered.
Luka Doncic continues to assert his case as one of the league’s elite offensive players, even garnering some attention in MVP discussions. Although he has been individually brilliant, the team’s odds of returning to winning ways may be declining.
Each loss weighs heavily on the Lakers at this point in the season. Having fallen down the Western Conference leaderboard dramatically, Los Angeles is currently fighting to retain its place in the top six.
With 24 games left in the campaign, the Lakers could sneak into the playoffs, with the play-in route emerging as a more likely means of doing so. But given that the team came into the season with title aspirations, it may be fair to say that the Purple and Gold have come up short.
