Even without Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs had no problem executing a surgical shootout against the Lakers to advance in the NBA Cup. It’s harsh to say it was made easy. But that’s exactly what JJ Redick is beginning to notice: a few patterns that remain consistent with the Lakers’ seven losses this season.

Their three-man action between Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves has been highly successful. But the Spurs managed to take Reaves out entirely, limiting him to just 15. That’s where the trouble began. The Lakers couldn’t find any outlets to make the most out of their possessions.

“I mean there’s a lot of things. I think being able to take care of the basketball probably the most difficult thing for our team right now,” said JJ Redick.

The Lakers had 11 turnovers tonight. 9 of those came between their ball-handling trio. However, they managed to create a good exchange with 23 assists between them. Usually, it’s the high turnover games that lead to the team’s downfall. The Lakers haven’t won a single game when they have turned the ball over at least 20 times. This loss wasn’t relevant to their multifaceted offensive system.

A rocky defence let them down. Notably, the Spurs scored 11 second-chance points, making the most out of crashing the glass. The Lakers also continued to bleed transition points, with the Spurs scoring 27. For the season, the Lakers are giving up seventh most points in the open floor, underscoring their slowness in resetting after an offensive possession.

“Very few teams don’t have something you can’t expose, and we consistently got exposed on the same things,” Redick said about the same.

But these are minor structural issues that can be repaired. There’s something bigger holding the Lakers back. As of right now, the team doesn’t possess an all-around threat.

The Lakers need to stop relying on their ‘Big 3’

Having three high-volume scorers did work in the NBA at one point. That blueprint has changed. Teams can’t stack up talent to counter LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. But they can neutralise or deafen the threat by dividing production and unsettling the Lakers’ defence. That’s where depth has turned into the key attribute to be successful in the modern era.

“Jake played 8 minutes. Gabe got one shot. We’ve had a couple of these games Rui included tonight getting four shots,” Redick pointed out.

Currently, the Lakers rely heavily on their monstrous trio to do most of the work. Having them initiate an action is perfectly fine. Their high IQs and magnetism create a lot of space. But the Lakers aren’t necessarily utilising that well. Tonight, Marcus Smart ran off for 26 on 16 shot attempts. The five other Lakers who played at least 8 minutes combined for the same number of shots. Gabe Vincent, who was a bright spot during the Heat’s improbable Finals run, took just one shot.

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The Lakers need to start having others make a few decisions and step up. The team ranks bottom in bench points and minutes for the entire season. That isn’t because the Lakers don’t possess quality scorers. They just haven’t had the chance to have the ball in their hands to engage in the system.

Unless that gets fixed, shutting down one of their three pillars will be a viable strategy for teams to beat them. Defensively, they can always polish up and play with urgency. But until they can get everyone involved, the Purple and Gold will continue to face issues if teams target one of their three scoring pivots.