The Los Angeles Lakers have had a rough start to the 2022-23 NBA season, posting an 0-3 record after failing to keep up with the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers and Portland Trail Blazers. The Purple and Gold are going through a bad moment right now, but they’re ready to turn things around and start getting wins.
The next five games will be incredibly hard for the Lakers, starting tonight with the Denver Nuggets. Russell Westbrook is listed as doubtful for this game, while LeBron James and Anthony Davis are probable.
This could be the beginning of something new for the Lakers, who have been linked again with a trade that sends Russell Westbrook somewhere else, while they get the pieces they need to compete in a stacked Western Conference.
Patrick Beverley Remains Confident In Lakers
During a recent edition of his podcast, Patrick Beverley made a big promise to the team’s fanbase, claiming that next week, they’ll have a better record and will be competing against other top teams.
Via Lakers Nation:
“Next week we should have a better record, everybody. Lakers Nation, please be patient with us a little bit. I understand you guys want answers, you want things right now. And we’re trying, we have the best defense — that’s something to be excited about. Championships are won on defense. Offense will come, just stay patient, please. I know it’s hard. I know you guys don’t like the heckling that comes with it. But trust me, I’ve been in this position over and over. The cream always rises to the top. We work extremely hard in the gym. We have a very, very intelligent coach — probably one of the coaches who gives players the most freedom. Stick with us, we didn’t say it was going to be easy. We didn’t say it was going to be glamorous. We said we was going to hit our goals whatever our goals were. So just stick with us.”
The Lakers have a lot of work to do if they want to get better. Their 3-point shooting is terrible, and things only get worse by the day. The 17-time NBA champions are ready to make a statement, but that won’t happen unless they move Westbrook away and land one or two shooters to get better from deep.
Beverley’s energy and intensity are well appreciated in Los Angeles, but it’ll take more for them to really turn things around and show why people should take them seriously. Next week, we’ll check what Beverley said and see if he was saying the truth or if the Lakers just fooled their fans again.
