The team’s losing record doesn’t tell the whole story.
LeBron James and the Lakers are 2-5 after a four-point loss to the Timberwolves on Monday night. It’s a rough, but not terribly unexpected opening for a team of inexperienced youth teaming up with a 33-year-old legend.
But this team is the Los Angeles Lakers with the King, so fans and media are quick to hit the panic button. The fuel was ignited after the game when James was led on to give a provocative quote that was aggregated wildly without context.
It’s surprising James even entertained this question, and in all likelihood he didn’t intend for his answer to be taken literally. History says James takes to Twitter for subtweets anyway.
And seven games in, the Lakers don’t have all that much worry about yet. As Anthony Irwin of SB Nation’s Silver Screen and Roll wrote:
Look, as frustrating as the Lakers’ 2-5 start might be, context there is as important as the context under which LeBron gave the above quote. They’ve played playoff contenders in all but one of their games and have been close in each and every one of them. No, a team with James on the roster doesn’t have the ability to look at moral victories — those don’t count at the end of the year — but this early stretch of the season could have gone a lot worse.
There are some positive signs.
The Lakers have one of the league’s best offenses
Buried behind the losing is that L.A. has the No. 7 offense in the league so far, scoring 113 points per 100 possessions. For better or worse, that includes three games without Rajon Rondo and four without Brandon Ingram.
The Lakers have been torched for their inability to bring in another co-star for LeBron, but in Josh Hart, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, and Ingram, there’s growing talent that is collectively holding its own even in close defeats. And of course, LeBron is LeBron.
Specifically, the Lakers are really good at getting to the rim, where the most efficient shots in the game are taken. The team attempts 43.4 shots from within 1-to-3 feet from the basket per game, the most by nearly six attempts. That means 44.6 percent of their total shots are coming exactly where they want them, and they’re sinking those looks to the sixth-highest percentage of any team (66.4 percent.) The next-closest team is the Pelicans, who shoot 40.2 percent of their looks from around the rim.
There are improvements to be made, including finding reliable shooters to diversify sets and interior rebounders to keep plays alive, but this offensive start is promising.
The Lakers have lost 3 of 5 games by two possessions or fewer
There’s some amount of luck involved in any sporting event, and in basketball it’s often seen at the end of games. Who gets hot in the final possessions often determines the result, as it did Monday when Jimmy Butler hit five fourth-quarter threes. In three of the Lakers five losses, they’ve lost by four points or fewer, one of which was in overtime. The law of averages suggests that number should start to even out as the season progresses.
The small scoring disparity tells us that teams aren’t steamrolling L.A. Even in losses, they’re rightthere even if they haven’t been able to overcome the final hurdle.
The Lakers defense isn’t great, but there’s time
Because defense is more communicative than offense, it’s also more difficult to perfect early in the season with a new roster. There’s reliance on your teammate to succeed, and so early in their careers, the young core of Ingram, Kuzma, Ball, and Hart haven’t played on an elite defense before. Forming a unit where everyone’s on the same page takes time.
Even still, L.A. hasn’t been the worst at it. The Lakers rank No. 22, allowing 114 points per 100 possessions. The Timberwolves, Spurs, Wizards, and Rockets, all expected playoff teams, trail them.
So no, it isn’t time to panic yet in L.A., and LeBron knows that. It’s far too soon for him to spread subtweets through the media.
For now, the Lakers appear better than their record with the assumption their young stars grow. LeBron’s patience shouldn’t run out anytime soon.