For whatever reason, the front office of the Los Angeles Lakers has tried re-inventing the wheel when it comes to building rosters around NBA superstar LeBron James.
Rob Pelinka did an excellent job at the beginning of his tenure turning some of their assets into a superstar in Anthony Davis, which resulted in an NBA Championship in the 2020 Orlando Bubble.
That roster was filled with players who fit alongside James. Throughout his career, there was a tried and true formula to finding success with him as the hub of the roster; surround him with 3-point shooters that can perform defensively. The championship roster was full of players that fit that description, but since then, the roster has transformed and not for the better.
The 2022-23 version of the Lakers is not only lacking talent but is a poor fit around their best player. Opening night for the purple and gold was ugly, as they were defeated rather easily by the Golden State Warriors, 123-109.
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James did his part, scoring 31 points with 15 rebounds and eight assists. However, it was clear, an area of weakness for the team was 3-point shooting. In the past, this was a staple of the most successful James-led teams.
Los Angeles shot 10-of-40 from 3-point range. James went 3-for-10 himself and the starters around him combined to shoot 2-of-14. That is just not going to cut it and he didn’t mince his words following the loss to the Warriors.
“We’re getting great looks, but it could also be teams giving us great looks. To be completely honest, we’re not a team constructed of great shooting… It’s not like we’re sitting here with a lot of lasers on our team.”
This could certainly be a long season in Los Angeles. They have played only one game, yet James is calling out the construction of the team and the lack of 3-point shooters. He isn’t wrong in his assessment, as the best shooters on the team could be Matt Ryan and Cole Swider.
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Ryan had one game of NBA experience to his name coming into the season and Swider is a rookie on a two-way deal. That certainly isn’t encouraging when it comes to the season-long outlook of the team from a 3-point shooting perspective.
Pelinka should immediately start blowing up the phone of the Indiana Pacers looking to make a trade for Buddy Hield and or Myles Turner. Both would help when it comes to 3-point shooting and be great fits around James and Davis as they are desperate for floor spacers.
