By Aleks Jankovic

The NBA has recently returned for yet another season, and the Lakers team is having a very rough start. Starting the season 0-3 with terrible shooting efficiency and defense, the Lakers squad is looking like they could miss the playoffs for the second year in a row, and become a bottom tier team in the western conference.

Ever since their championship run during the 2020 bubble year, the Lakers have had trouble with 3-point shooting efficiency and having players with good shot selection. Russell Westbrook has taken a steep decline ever since joining the team, with his points per game and shooting percentage both steadily decreasing as he continues on the team. In these first three games specifically, Westbrook is averaging just 10 points per game on 28% field goal shooting, and a measly 8% from the 3-point line. Although the Lakers two main superstars, LeBron James and Anthony Davis, are continuing to put up good numbers among their games, their shot selection and low 3-point shooting percentage are just not up to standard with today’s NBA, where offense relies heavily on 3-point shots. 

As far as defense is concerned, it is nothing horrible, but also not great. Anthony Davis looks to have improved on his paint defense this year, and if Westbrook can’t make the shots that he used to be able to make, the Lakers could utilize him as a defensive role player, since he still contributes in the blocks and steals department. However, it isn’t a top-tier defense like Milwaukee or Boston, and when this is combined with their lackluster offensive capabilities, the team is really struggling to start off the season strong. Along with their schedule for the next few weeks including promising teams such as Denver, Minnesota, and New Orleans, it is entirely possible that the Lakers won’t win their first game of the season for quite some time.