The Lakers are 20-21 this season despite coming into the season with championship expectations. There have been lineup issues alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and it seems those lineups are what’s holding the Lakers back. Gilbert Arenas revealed on his show that Clippers star Paul George told him the Lakers are easy to guard because they don’t play many shooters with their stars.
“I asked Paul (George), I said, ‘When you play against the Lakers, how easy is it?’ And he said, ‘Oh, it’s easy. It’s easy as hell because the guy that I’m guarding doesn’t shoot. Right? So, now I become a defensive player because I get to roam. I get to be here, double… It’s easy to play against a team or a guy that isn’t going to do anything.’”
Paul George told me the Lakers are EASY to guard without shooters around LeBron and AD.
And I agree. pic.twitter.com/qxgApgn56D
— Gil’s Arena (@GilsArenaShow) January 17, 2024
The Lakers rotational uncertainties got Darvin Ham on the verge of being fired in December. Players were openly complaining to media members and taking shots at the team’s rotations on social media. But those reasons were more to do with specific players getting a bigger role, not about shooting specialists playing more.
Like every year, the Lakers don’t have many shooting specialists on the roster. No player is shooting above 40%, with the best statistical shooters this season being D’Angelo Russell, Taurean Prince, and LeBron James (all three shooting 39.0% from three). Everyone else has been a below-average three-point shooter this season.
If the Lakers make a big trade, the player they acquire has to be a hooting specialist if they want the team to be competitive. If not, they need to add a peripheral roster piece who will be a shooting specialist.
Do The Lakers Need To Make A Trade?
The Lakers are struggling this season due to a talent deficit on the roster. Whether the deficit is coaching talent or player talent can be debated, but something needs to change if the Lakers want to be a playoff team in such a competitive Western Conference.
They’ve been linked to multiple players, with Dejounte Murray looking like their leading candidate right now. Murray is averaging 21.0 points, 4.8 assists, and 4.8 rebounds this season while shooting 38.3% from three. He can come in and be a primary ball-handler to playmaker as well as maximize catch-and-shoot opportunities that are inevitably created on a team with LeBron and Anthony Davis.
The Lakers have reportedly pulled out of trade talks for Zach LaVine, so the high-volume scorer and his gigantic contract are unlikely to make their way to LA LA Land.
Other under-the-radar targets for the Lakers to add more guard help are Tyus Jones and Malcolm Brogdon. Jones is averaging 12.8 points and 5.6 assists on 42.0% from three in Washington while Brogdon is averaging 14.7 points and 5.1 assists on 41.3% from three in Portland.
Both players could add something interesting to the Lakers but it might not be enough to make the Lakers a bonafide contender.
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