The Los Angeles Lakers has lost 10 of its 14 games post-tournament, in a team that had LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
“There's a truism in the NBA scouting world: Don't sign Heat role players.
If Miami is letting them go, it's for a reason—and they tend to over-perform for coach Erik Spoelstra.”(Via https://t.co/GH5pGSyFFS) pic.twitter.com/oYdGSmRuTS
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 8, 2024
As Laker’s slump continues, on Wednesday they dropped a 110-96 loss to Miami, they turned the ball over 22 times and made only four-of-30 three-point shots.
They lost the ninth time in their last 12 games, and the Lakers netted just 4 of 30 on 3-pointers and committed 15 of their 22 turnovers in the first half. LeBron James was 6 of 18 from the field and finished with 12 points.
Diving into the injury situation for the Lakers, their offseason addition Gabe Vincent had made five appearances before pausing due to knee surgery, his is still unclear for the rest of the season.
The injury to Vincent has left Los Angeles seemingly with few playmakers (Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell, and James), and with only Davis (3.4) averaging over 3.0 assists per game.
Other injuries have worsened, including Rui Hachimura (concussion, nasal fracture, and calf), Jarred Vanderbilt (heel), and, recently, Russell (tailbone contusion).
The episode of challenges in shooting for the Lakers roster, not a strong shooting team throughout James’ tenure with the franchise, dating back to 2018. As Bleacher Reports wrote, the team’s identity has been bully ball in a three-point shooting era.
As per NBA.com, the Lakers are 24th overall as a team (35.1 percent), above only the Utah Jazz, San Antonio Spurs, and Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference.
The coaching staff paradox, Lakers head coach Darvin Ham is one of the most likable guys in the industry but is not an elite tactician. Despite his credentials being added with his first In-Season Tournament championship, Ham is in danger of losing his locker room, possibly.
In a tactical observation, his rotations, adjustments, counters, and overall strategy have been unimpressive in overall.
To top it all, the Injury list has played a major part, even then the Lakers’ roster is worse than last year, and the front office hasn’t reacted quickly to fix what’s worsening.
