On January 16, Beijing time, the Lakers lost to the Nuggets 96-133 in the game against the Nuggets, and after this game, the Lakers' winning rate has dropped to less than 50%, and they obviously have no small problems at both ends of the attack and defense in this game. Especially on the defensive end, the Lakers let the Nuggets play 23 of 40 from outside the three-point line, which is enough to prove that the Lakers are still a team with major defensive flaws.
In the game, LeBron James scored a team-high 25 points, 9 rebounds and 2 assists on 9-of-23 shooting in 31 minutes, and James' performance on 2-of-8 shooting from beyond the three-point line was not ideal. By contrast, Russell Westbrook had 19 points, five rebounds and three assists on 7-of-15 shooting in the 26 minutes of the game, and it's important to note that Westbrook didn't make a single mistake in the game.
Of course, we can't say that the Lakers' loss of this game is Westbrook's problem, but so far this season, Westbrook has not been able to play an efficient performance, at least in the case of partner LeBron James. Then it is undeniable that the Lakers' push for this deal involving Westbrook in the offseason is a completely failed move.
Truth be told, the Lakers haven't been without other ideals this offseason, and they didn't even have to choose to push Westbrook's deal at all. Because the News that the Lakers have come close to scoring Demar DeRozan, who has averaged 25.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game so far this season, and can even have a 35.2% three-point shooting performance outside the three-point line. In addition, there are also rumors that the Lakers have a lot of interest in King sharpshooter Buddy Hield.
Compared with Wei Shao, both DeRozan and Hield seem to be more suitable for this Lakers, the Lakers could have used Harrell and Kuzma as the core chips to promote Hield's trade, in which case they could leave a tough player like Pop, and may even give Caruso a contract extension.
Even if the Lakers still give up DeRozan, they can have a lineup of core players such as James, Davis, Hield, Pope and Caruso this season after trading Hield, which will be a lineup more suitable for LeBron James.