3 takeaways from Lakers Week 2

Laker fans have had a rollercoaster of emotions this past week, as the Lakers went 2-2 on the week to take them to 5-5. After a nail-biting heartbreak loss against the Heat on Monday, they were embarrassed on Wednesday in a 30-point blowout to the Rockets before bouncing back and overcoming a double-digit deficit to defeat the Suns on Friday.

LA followed it up with a win at home on Sunday over the Portland Trail Blazers.

Coming off back-to-back wins, let’s take a look at some of the key insights and what we can expect going forward from this week in Lakers basketball.

Injuries

LA has been overwhelmed by injuries to start this season.

Gabe Vincent (left knee effusion), Rui Hachimura (concussion protocol), and Anthony Davis (hip) have all missed time this season, while Jarred Vanderbilt (heel) and Jalen Hood Schifino (knee) have yet to play at all. LeBron James also missed Sunday’s game with a calf strain. 

This depleted Lakers team has had little opportunity to build true cohesion, with many key players unavailable. These injuries have forced the coaching staff to try out different rotations and give some of their younger players added minutes.

Ultimately, health is always a concern, yet we recognize that some of the team’s early struggles can be attributed to the fact that they haven’t had their normal unit out there. Expect this team to begin building chemistry and producing at a higher level once they get healthier. 

3 Point Shooting Dilemma

After the win on Friday night, James attributed some of the comeback to the Lakers’ improved three-point shooting. Against Phoenix, LA shot a season-high 44.4% from the three; however, it fell to 21.1 percent against Portland on Sunday.

Three-point shooting efficiency has been a point of emphasis for this team. LA needs to be a consistent three-point shooting team moving forward.

Offensive Rebounding Struggles

This season, we’ve been stressing that the team needs to buckle down in the offensive rebounding department. We have not seen the improvement we’re looking for on the offensive glass.

The Lakers rank last in the league in offensive rebounding percentage at 22.5%. This trend has only been worse during this road trip, where they’ve only averaged 6.3 offensive rebounds on a mere 16.8% offensive rebounding percentage.

Ultimately, they will continue to miss out on second-chance opportunities and enhanced offensive production if these numbers stay so low. We must rely on our big men to step up in this category to reach our offensive ceiling.

At eighth in the west and at .500, this Lakers team has the opportunity to start a winning streak with their next games against weaker opponents in the Grizzlies and Kings.