LA Lakers: 19 Last Week: 13 ↓ Los Angeles Lakers Record: 9-9 Pace: 102.6 (2) OffRtg: 105.4 (23) DefRtg: 108.7 (20) NetRtg: -3.3 (24) LeBron James returned from an eight-game absence on Friday and went back to being a jump-shooter, with only two free throw attempts in 53 total minutes and with 17 of his 23 weekend shots coming from outside the paint. Of course, that doesn’t include the shot that Isaiah Stewart took above the eye on Sunday. With that flagrant-2 foul from James, four different Lakers have been ejected from games this season — and none of the four are Dwight Howard. The Lakers were able to come back from 17 points down in Detroit because they scored 37 points (with 27 coming from Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis) in the fourth quarter. Earlier in the week, they erased a double-digit deficit in Milwaukee (before coming up short down the stretch) by playing zone against the champs. The Lakers obviously don’t have the defensive personnel that they had over the previous two years and according to Synergy tracking, they’ve played almost as many possessions of zone this season (72, eighth most) as they played all of last season (84, fifth fewest). Their early schedule wasn’t just easy in regard to opponent strength and how home-heavy it was. The Lakers are also one of two teams that have yet to play a rest-disadvantage game. Their first is Wednesday in Indiana, the last stop on their five-game trip. Week 6: @ NYK, @ IND, vs. SAC, vs. DET Ouch.
Honestly though, its justified. We are at the bottom or average at best at pretty much everything except pace. Who would have thought we would suck at rebounding? Who would have thought we would be outscored in the paint? Who thought we would be playing complete turnstyle defense? Lots of "negative" surprises.
New Power Rankings: 19 Last Week: 19 Los Angeles Lakers Record: 11-11 Pace: 101.9 (2) OffRtg: 105.6 (22) DefRtg: 108.5 (18) NetRtg: -2.9 (24) Though the Lakers are tied for the most games played (22) through Week 6, their most-used lineup has played just 51 minutes, the lowest total for any team’s most-used five-man unit, and that lineup doesn’t include LeBron James. Their second most-used lineup (47 minutes) includes James, but also Kent Bazemore, who’s been DNP’d in each of the last five games. So you might say that the Lakers are suffering from a lack of continuity; Both James (suspension) and Anthony Davis (illness) missed games last week. Frank Vogel did start the same lineup – Russell Westbrook, Avery Bradley, James, Davis and DeAndre Jordan – in their two games over the weekend, but it would be a shock if that group was ever on the floor together in clutch time. It was mostly Malik Monk and Carmelo Anthony alongside the three stars as the Lakers played three overtimes against the Kings on Friday. More important than the two guys around them is that this team figures out how the three stars work together. At this point, the Lakers have been better with only one of the three on the floor (+4.6 points per 100 possessions in 313 total minutes) than they’ve been with two (-5.9 in 528 minutes) or all three (-2.1 in 195 minutes). Offense remains a struggle and it may be that they just don’t match up well vs. other starting groups, but can do some damage against second units. This Wednesday and Thursday is the Lakers’ first multi-day break since Week 1. And after they play the Clippers on Friday, they’ll have their first three-day break of the season. James is 3-4 against the Clippers since coming to L.A. Week 7: @ SAC, vs. LAC
New update: Week 9 Team to Watch L.A. Lakers — The Lakers have shown some signs of life, winning five of their last seven games to climb above .500 and into sixth place in the West. But it’s been a pretty easy stretch of schedule and the opponents get tougher with a three-game road trip this week. The Lakers are in Dallas on Wednesday, in Minnesota on Friday, and in Chicago on Sunday. It will be their first meeting with the Mavs and their second time facing both the Bulls and Wolves, who each beat the Lakers handily in L.A. last month. Making progress, right: 15 Last Week: 20 ↑ Los Angeles Lakers Record: 15-13 Pace: 101.1 (3) OffRtg: 107.2 (23) DefRtg: 107.6 (11) NetRtg: -0.4 (19) There are certainly reasons to downplay that the Lakers have risen to sixth place in the West, having won five of their last seven games. The teams below them in the standings have all had major issues regarding absences, consistency, or just lack of talent. And the five wins have come against the Pistons, Kings, C Bags, Thunder and Magic. The Lakers got thumped in the second half by the Grizzlies on Thursday and haven’t beat one of the 17 teams currently .500 or better in more than a month (Nov. 10 vs. Miami). But they have twice as many double-digit wins in the last 13 days (4) as they did prior to that (2). If you’re going to beat bad teams, it’s certainly better to beat them comfortably. They allowed just 101.3 points per 100 possessions over their four games last week and, against the two good/decent teams they played (Boston and Memphis), they were a plus-21 in 41 total minutes with Russell Westbrook, LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the floor together. It’s the first real signs of progress, though two straight games without Davis (sore left knee) has put the important stuff on pause. The Lakers do have two days off before they begin a three-game trip in Dallas on Wednesday. It’s an important game in the standings (and for L.A.’s continued development), though it’s not clear if Davis or Luka Doncic will be available. Week 9: @ DAL, @ MIN, @ CHI
This week might be easier than initially expected. Luka is out. Bulls running some Gleague players. Gotta capitalize
Hopefully he’s asymptomatic and is back quickly he needs Lebron’s connections to make this happen faster than 10 days
