Have the Los Angeles Lakers figured out their issues?
I’ve been as critical as anyone on the Los Angeles Lakers. After an offseason in which they made the big splash of acquiring Russell Westbrook, the expectations for this team, whether warranted or not, were sky-high heading into the season.
And for much of this season, the Lakers have been more bust than boom. While a lot of that had to do with the team battling untimely injuries, you can also point to the lack of fit that Russell Westbrook appeared to be to start the season and the team’s issues at the center position.
However, as the Lakers have gotten a bit healthier and now that Westbrook looks to be fitting in a tad better, it appears as if LA has started to turn the corner on their early-season struggles.
Westbrook has shaken off his putrid offensive efficiency to start the season and is looking more and more comfortable on most nights. LeBron is healthy and playing at an extremely high level once again, even as he stares down his 37th birthday.
Specifically, over the team’s last 11 games, the Lakers are 7-4 and playing like a team that is beginning to hit their stride. Over that span, the Lakers have jumped from having a bottom 10 offense to a top 14 offense and a 20th-ranked defense to a top 10 defense.
Perhaps what’s most important, the Lakers have a 5.0 net rating which is good enough for ninth in the league over that span.
Even though I don’t think it would be wise to suggest that the Lakers have solved all of their problems, there are signs of hope for the team moving forward.
If this team can remain healthy, they should finish in the top 5 of the Western Conference. I believe they’ve proved to be one of the top 5 teams in the West with a healthy LeBron (they’re 10-6 in games he plays this season).
The big question is whether they can continue to improve at a pace that would lead them to compete with the likes of the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors in the West.