5 reasons why LA Lakers' slump is more concerning than ever
The LA Lakers have struggled. They have LeBron James playing like it's his first season in the NBA. Anthony Davis is showcasing why he rightfully deserves to be DPOY, and yet the Purple and Gold have been at the losing end for a good portion of December 2023, and ended the year with a trouncing by the New Orleans Pelicans.
In the wake of their 129-109 loss, LA now heads into a challenging home stretch and needs to carve out wins if they intend to keep their championship aspirations alive.
Their home record is a lot comforting. The team is 11-4 and will hope that they can arrest the losing streak by getting the better of the Miami Heat next. But for that to happen, the outfit needs to figure out quite a few things. For now, they are in a rut and that's a concern as they inch to 40 games.
5 reasons why the LA Lakers slump is a concern
#5 The Lakers have lost the winning momentum
For a team that was clinical in the IST, LA has looked like a pale shadow winning just three of their last 10 games. While the team has battled health issues, they have had troubles despite LeBron James and Davis playing a majority of the games.
The momentum that kept them over the .500 mark is lost and they will now need to win as many games as they can in their upcoming heavy home streak to get their campaign back on track.
#4 Lack of contribution outside of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Austin Reaves
Barring the star trio of James, Reaves, and Davis, the rest of the unit has blown hot and cold. The likes of D'Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura have been in and out of starting lineups.
Taurean Prince and Cam Reddish's three-point shooting has been erratic. This puts the Lakers at a massive disadvantage as they head into the second half of the regular season.
#3 The Lakers don't have a set starting lineup
While most teams have tinkered with their starting five, and some of them making moves ahead of the trade deadline already, LA is yet to have a set-in-stone starting lineup. James and Davis have been their only constants.
Head coach Darvin Ham has tried quite a few of his bench players — Max Christie, Jaxson Hayes, and Christian Wood in his first five with mixed results.
#2 What is the identity?
The Lakers' defense has been their biggest identity even during Frank Vogel's time. Their wins have come from their Draciel-like defense with most players on the roster capable of making life difficult for even the best of shooters.
However, their lack of effort on that end against offensively lesser-placed teams leads to questioning the team's identity.
#1 The Lakers do not look like playoff contenders
In a stacked Western Conference, the Lakers are nowhere close to looking like playoff contenders, let alone looking at winning their second title in the James-Davis era.
The roster for all its depth and versatility is yet to address the bigger issue: lack of shooting. With 48 games left in the season, LA is under pressure to get past the 45-win mark and hope that it will be enough to avoid the play-in.