"You're scoring f**king 104 points" – Gilbert Arenas on LA Lakers' offensive struggles and why LeBron James needs more shooters around him
The LA Lakers' underwhelming season remains in the spotlight, and former NBA player Gilbert Arenas chimed in with his opinion.
Speaking on the "No Chill Podcast with Gilbert Arenas," the former NBA star expressed his doubts about the Lakers' prospects this season. Arenas talked about how the organization needs to provide LeBron James with more shooters.
"You got dead players on the court, you got players who can't put the ball in the basket, so you're playing 3 on 5. You're scoring f**king 104 points, that's you problem, 104 in an era where offense is running down your throat."
LA Lakers continuing to struggle
Gilbert Arenas talked about how the LA Lakers are consistently struggling on both sides of the ball.
After coming into the season with lofty expectations, the Lakers (23-24) are in eighth place in the Western Conference. They have won five of their last 10 games.
One of the most interesting parts Arenas highlighted was that Los Angeles isn't just struggling defensively, but their offense continues to lack firepower.
Although superstar forward LeBron James continues to wow with his production, the lack of support has been obvious. James has averaged 31.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game in his last 11 games.
The problem is that the age of this roster has started to show in a big way. With fellow superstar Anthony Davis out of the lineup, the team has struggled to provide support to James. The roster lacks consistent outside shooting, something Arenas emphasized. Russell Westbrook has been the team's highest scorer after James lately, but the veteran guard has seen a rapid decline in his play this year.
25+ points in 16 straight games 
👑 25+ points in 16 straight games 👑
#LeBronJames x #NBAAllStar https://t.co/9tW1G5laOx
It remains to be seen if Los Angeles will be able to make any additional moves that could provide some better fits on the roster. The team has had to lean on the likes of Carmelo Anthony and monk" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Malik Monk as contributors, and it's clear the organization will attempt to be aggressive before the Feb. 10 trade deadline.
Anthony, in his 19th season, is averaging 13.4 ppg in 26.8 minutes per game. Monk, in his fifth season, is averaging 11.9 points in 26.1 minutes – both career bests. He has started 11 games, also a career high for the 11th pick in the 2017 draft.