NBA analyst slams Jeanie Buss & Rob Pelinka for Lakers early washout performance: “This is a failure from Jeanie Buss, this is a failure from Rob Pelinka”
After making minimal upgrades in the offseason, the LA Lakers continue to tread in the wrong direction. Currently, they are the the only remaining winless team in the NBA apart from Orlando Magic and Sacramento Kings.
Despite having the star duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the league's most historic franchise has hit a turn for the worse. The main source of their struggles is the lackluster supporting cast behind their pair of stars.
When the Lakers won the title in 2020, they had a roster full of players that complemented LeBron and AD. That is not the case anymore. The team desperately lack outside shooting and has done almost nothing to rectify ttheproblem.
Despite getting up 37 threes a game, LA currently sits dead last in percentage at 22.3%. If they stay at this pace, they have a chance to go down as one of the worst three-point shooting teams in history.
During a recent episode of the "Colin Cowherd Podcast," FS1's Colin Cowherd gave his thoughts on LA's woes to start the year. He points the blame at GM Rob Pelinka.
"LeBron is a winner with a high IQ that gets the ball to shooters. The Lakers have a chanceto be now, the worst shooting team in league history."
"This is a failure from Jeanie Buss, this is a failure from Rob Pelinka."
The LA Lakers are in desperate need of three-point shooting
Everything Colin Cowherd said was spot on. In the NBA, teams have to start with their star and then work their way out in terms of roster building. Even with LeBron James on track to be one of the greatest players ever, the LA Lakers have failed to put a proper cast around him.
Since the beginning of his career, LeBron's top skill has always been his IQ. His ability to break down plays and hit open teammates is what's made him such an elite-level talent. While it still does that for the Lakers, it isn't effective because the roster is littered with below-average shooters.
Of LA's primary rotation players this season, seven are shooting below 26% from beyond the arc. Russell Westbrook is at the bottom of the list as he's converted only 8.3% of his threes.
So far, LA's best shooters of the year are Matt Ryan (50%) and Austin Reaves (40%). While their percentages might look impressive, they've both attempted ten or fewer threes thus far.
With shooting being at such a premium in today's NBA, LA cannot sit by and do nothing about it. If they can't improve their productivity from beyond the arc, they'll likely be on the outside looking in come playoff time again this season.
LeBron only has so many years left as a high-impact player. He and Anthony Davis have proven they are capable of leading a team to the title, but they need a supporting cast that complements them.