The Los Angeles Lakers have gotten off to an interesting start this season. They are 3-3, but have been thoroughly outplayed in nearly every first quarter, struggled on the defensive glass and with turnovers and have dealt with injuries to just about every player not named LeBron James or Anthony Davis, in a surprise twist.
Teams that star James have not been known to have hot starts to seasons. Instead, he has long been known for coasting through the regular season only to flip the switch when the games matter most. However, the Lakers are still showing some discernible flaws that need to be addressed as soon as possible.
The Lakers, through six games, remind James of the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers, who currently sit at 5-3 and in second place of their division despite having obvious flaws in their roster construction, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“We’re like the Pittsburgh Steelers right now. The Pittsburgh Steelers right now have not outgunned or outscored any of their opponents (in the first half) this season right now and yet they got a winning record… I think I’m Mike Tomlin’s lucky charm because every time I pick against them, I win.”
The Steelers have had a halftime lead in only two of their eight games so far this season, and yet have five wins. They also have not outgained their opponents in total yards in any game this season. But still, they continue to find ways to win.
And the Lakers have looked similar in the early phase of this season. They have found ways to win despite losing many of the battles normally required to win games. The hope is that many of these issues are due to significant injuries plaguing much of the team’s depth, including Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, Taurean Prince and Gabe Vincent.
Sooner rather than later, the Lakers would like to escape James’ Steelers comparison, as the Lakers hope to contend for a championship this season while the Steelers are unlikely to be near that conversation.
Ham gives multiple injury updates
Lakers head coach Darvin Ham spoke about many of the team’s injured players and gave an update on all of their statuses. He said that Hachimura and Prince are likely to return sooner rather than later, while Vanderbilt is in more of a later rather than sooner situation. Jalen Hood-Schifino is also at least a few weeks away.
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