To the surprise of no one, except for maybe people within the organization, the Los Angeles Lakers have struggled out of the gate. They are one of four winless teams remaining in the NBA along with the Sacramento Kings, Oklahoma City Thunder and Orlando Magic. Unlike those three teams, the Lakers have been operating as a team looking to win now, which makes the start all that much more embarrassing.
Los Angeles had their doors blown off on opening night by the Golden State Warriors before playing a more competitive game against the LA Clippers. Timely shots were absent against their Crypto.Com Arena co-tenants as the Lakers built a new arena with the number of bricks that were shot in the game.
The purple and gold blew a chance at getting their first victory of the season last time out against the Portland Trail Blazers. They led by seven with less than two minutes to go but were outscored 11-2 in the final 1:56 to suffer their third consecutive loss to start the season.
What makes these losses even tougher to handle is the fact that Darvin Ham has seemingly figured some things out in his first season as head coach. While the team is winless, they are getting the job done defensively as they have the third-best defensive rating in the NBA despite playing at the second-fastest pace.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Buddy Hield, Indiana Pacers & Los Angeles Lakers Updates
The offense has been on the opposite end of the spectrum. Los Angeles is 30th in offensive rating and 29th in points scored. A big reason for their struggles is their inability to make 3-pointers.
The Lakers are attempting the 8th most 3-pointers per game but they rank dead last in 3-point makes and 3-point shooting percentage. If that isn’t enough of an ugly picture to paint, StatMuse shared a stat comparison between the Lakers’ starters and Buddy Hield, a rumored trade target, of the Indiana Pacers.
Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook, Patrick Beverley and Lonnie Walker IV have started all three games alongside James and struggled mightily when it comes to knocking down perimeter jumpers. Hield added three more 3-pointers made in the Pacers’ game last night, giving him 12 on the season.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Buddy Hield, Indiana Pacers & Los Angeles Lakers Updates
The Lakers are in desperate need of some floor spacers and 3-point shooters. Hield is about as good as it gets when it comes to high-volume 3-point shooters and would be a perfect fit playing alongside James and Davis.
The more games that Los Angeles loses, the sooner they will likely be willing to pony up the price it’ll cost to land Hield in a trade.
