The Lakers have hit a nasty bump in the road, going 4-6 in their last 10 games and are currently on their first losing streak of the season.
It would be an understatement to describe the Lakers as being in a slump. The eye test and the analytics back it up. It’s an 82-game season, slumps happen. And while the Lakers still remain 4th in the West and 3.5 games behind the 2nd seed at 19-10, the way in which they have lost their games has been a consistent concern.
As of now, the Lakers have the lowest point differential average (-0.5) of the top 8 teams in both the Western and Eastern Conferences, meaning L.A.’s opponents are currently averaging more points per game than they are, 117.4 to 116.9. For reference, the 18-10 Houston Rockets average a point differential of +8.4, the Spurs at a +7.1 and the Thunder at +13.9.
The Lakers are 10-0 in clutch games this season. They’ve been able to seal close games. However, in their losses, they’ve lost by double digits every single time. A trend that’s been a constant theme all year even amidst their early season success. Their apparent struggles stem from questions surrounding the current construction of the roster and their inability to compete with physical and athletic teams such as the Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs, etc.
L.A.’s Defensive Struggles
The Lakers have had the third worst defensive rating during their 4-6 skid in the last 10 games, only ahead of the Wizards and Jazz. They’ve allowed 120+ points in 6 of their last 10 games, 3 of them being over 130. Their weaknesses on that end of the floor were only amplified against the Rockets, a tall, physical and athletic group.
Houston outrebounded the Lakers 48 to 25 last night, in which only 17 of those 25 were defensive rebounds. They also allowed 17 offensive boards to the Rockets. The Lakers have had trouble containing teams with similar archetypes as Houston. They just don’t have an arsenal of explosive athletes that can run the break effectively, be reliable perimeter defenders, cutters or rebounders. And opposing teams have made it a point to exploit those weaknesses.
Jarred Vanderbilt and Marcus Smart, two players who hang their hats on defense, haven’t been enough to mask the unit’s defensive needs nor should they be expected to on their own.
JJ Redick Warns of “Uncomfortable” Team Practice on Saturday
Coach Redick was understandably frustrated after the loss to Houston and let his thoughts be known during the postgame press conference:
“…Tonight, we were a terrible basketball team and that started legitimately right away. We don’t care enough to do the things that are necessary…we don’t have it right now. Where I said the other night, it’s a matter of making the choice and too often we have guys that don’t want to make that choice and it’s pretty consistent who those guys are. And so, Saturday’s practice, I told the guys, it’s going to be uncomfortable. The meeting is going to be uncomfortable. I’m not doing another 53 games like this.”
On top of the frustration, Austin Reaves left last night’s game at halftime due to calf soreness, the injury that kept him out of action last week. He received an MRI today and the Lakers have announced that he has been diagnosed with a grade 2 left gastrocnemius strain in his calf and will be re-evaluated in about four weeks.
Whether or not Coach Redick plans to make any lineup or rotation changes remains to be seen. The Lakers look to bounce back against the Sacramento Kings on Sunday at Crypto.Com Arena.
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