Nothing is going right for the Los Angeles Lakers and the team that was supposed to cruise through the Western Conference may not even make the postseason.
The Lakers are currently three games under .500 and they are coming off a tough loss to the Denver Nuggets at home. Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak put together a very talented roster this off-season, but up until this point, this team has not lived up to expectations. The Los Angeles Times reports that Kupchak spoke to select season ticket holders and talked about what he thinks is wrong about the Lakers.
“I think Pau continues to struggle to figure out how he’s going to play with his group,” said Kupchak. “Our coaches are struggling as well. We’re not going to succeed as a team until we figure that out.”
“In order to be a good defensive team, everybody has to really, really want to play defense and defend.”
It is clear that the Lakers have not found an identity and the players are having a hard time figuring out their roles in the offense. On top of that, the chemistry with the Lakers seems to be lacking on the court. The players are not playing with any camaraderie and something needs to change in the locker room.
There should be no reason that a team as talented as the Lakers should have a 15-18 record. The team has had enough time with the new coaching staff to have some sense of what to do, but nevertheless, the Lakers have not “figured it out” and their time is quickly running out.
