Anthony Davis’ Injury Scare Brings Forth Another Concerning Lakers Weakness

They are one of the most storied teams in NBA history, but now the Los Angeles Lakers are struggling to find their footing in the game. With a 3-4 record since the start of the season, they are now 10th in the Western Conference with a dark cloud over their future. 

The team has battled with injuries in the past. But this season, their struggles have started much earlier. In the game against the Miami Heat this Monday the Lakers lost their key player, Anthony Davis to a hip spasm. This just heightened the worries that many fans and analysts alike have about their chances of reaching further into the postseason.  

The Lakers’ biggest weakness right now

During the discussion at The Lowe Post, Zach Lowe and Ohm Youngmisuk evaluated at length the state of the Lakers right now. He pointed out that they were a bad half-court offense last year, in the regular season, and in the playoffs. They occupied the 24th position in the best offense in the league and continue to occupy the same this year too. The most shocking of all this is despite having one of the greatest players in the NBA, LeBron James with them, they continue to struggle. 

Lowe put things into perspective by pointing out their number with and without LeBron. With James playing, the Lakers had a 114 offensive rating and 104 defensive rating with +53 total points. But with him on the bench, they had an 88 offensive rating, 125 defensive rating, and -77 points in 95 minutes. He argued that with these numbers, they might as well play with just four players on the court. 

This performance comes after they initially decided to restrict Lebron’s playing time. When they realized that this would not work after trying in the first game, they reverted to playing him fully. 

The reason for their offensive struggles

Youngmisuk is of the opinion that the biggest part of their offensive struggles is Austin Reaves. “He was awesome last year, certainly is an ascending talent. He is off to a rough start [this season]”. Ohm also pointed out that many people were confused why they were bringing in Cam Reddish to the court. This he explained was because they did not have a lot of good options because D’Angelo was benched because of a foul and Rui Hachimura was out with an injury. 

Read More : Are Lakers Good Enough to Survive Without Anthony Davis? 39YO LeBron James’ Possible Increased Minutes Can’t be the Answer

With the odds stacked against the Lakers, it seems like now is the time for them to rethink their choices. Despite big promises of a better season, at the start of this year, they are yet to fulfill it as they continue to struggle with finding rhythm and harmony.

What are your thoughts on LeBron and Co? Let us know!

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