The Los Angeles Lakers have played 44 games, have a 22-22 record, and are currently in ninth place in the West. Although in the playoff qualifying position, this performance is not enough for the Lakers who want to enter the playoffs and win a championship. The Lakers, who have LeBron James and Anthony Davis, want to win a championship. To this end, the American media listed five obvious weaknesses that the Lakers need to address before the NBA trade deadline on February 8.
5. The problem of poor scoring on the bench
The Lakers' bench is arguably one of the worst in the league. The Lakers are averaging 32.4 points per game off the bench, ranking 20th in the league. After D'Angelo Russell entered the bench, although he improved the scoring ability of the bench, the starter lacked a good scorer. D'Angelo Russell and Reaves were unable to use their scoring ability to drive the bench. That's where the Lakers are most frustrated, and perhaps, they need to find a better sixth man to get D'Angelo Russell or Reaves back in the starting lineup.
4. Problems with poor speed and athleticism in the back line
According to The Athletic's Jovan Buha, the Lakers are looking to improve the speed and athleticism of their guard line before the trade deadline. D'Angelo Russell and Reeves may not be bad at combing the offense. However, in terms of counter-attack speed and explosiveness, the two are really too weak. The Lakers need a top-tier guard who can have speed, explosiveness, and can score consistently. Let LeBron James and Anthony Davis have less offensive pressure.
3. The problem of not being good enough on the inside defense
Although Anthony Davis is still one of the top five big men in the league, Anthony Davis, who is both offensive and defensive, is still one of the favorites for the league's Defensive Player of the Year this season. However, Anthony Davis still struggles to gain some advantages against Jokic's inside. The Lakers need to trade to get some big men who defend better to help the Lakers. You must know that in the 2019-20 season, they relied on McGee and Howard, and also locked up Jokic in the playoffs. The Lakers signed big men Jackson Hayes and Wood in the offseason, and Jackson Hayes didn't really play a role on both ends of the floor, and Wood himself is an offense-oriented tall man, making it very difficult for him to be the core of the defense.
2. Lack of a forward problem with both offense and defense
Although the Lakers strengthened Torrien Prince and Reddish in the offseason, the overall performance of both did not meet the team's expectations. Perhaps, the Lakers could consider trading for DeRozan, and some fan media have suggested that the Lakers take Jeramy Grant from the Portland Trail Blazers.
1. Three-point shooting and shooting percentage differences
In recent seasons, the Lakers' most notable and high-profile have been three-point shooting and shooting percentage. After winning the championship in 2019-20, they played a very traditional style of play, which was biased towards the outside line. In 2023-24, the Lakers averaged 11.0 three-pointers per game, ranking 28th in the league, and 36.0% three-point shooting percentage, ranking 18th in the league. He averaged 30.4 shots from three-point range, ranking 30th in the league.
It's hard to imagine that this is the Lakers who have strengthened their outside projection in the offseason. Tall pitchers have Wood, and average shooters have Prince, Reddish, Vincent. The Lakers have a few shooters for LeBron James, but none of them are playing as well as the Lakers want.