The Los Angeles Lakers find themselves at .500 32 games into the season, sitting at 16-16. Losers of their last three, the LeBron James-led squad is performing far below expectations, currently sitting in the Western Conference’s sixth seed.
Many believed a potential reason for a disappointing season for the Los Angeles Lakers would be the eventual regression of LeBron James, but it’s been anything but. The 36-year-old, although not nearly as durable as he once was, is continuing to put up MVP-level stats when he’s on the court. Averaging 26.4 points, 6.6. rebounds, and 6.6 assists in 20 games this season, the king is proving he still has time left at the top of his game.
He is shooting 51 percent from the floor and almost 35 percent from beyond the arc, consistent with his efficiency over the past four seasons. He’s also one of the most impactful players in the league, with the Lakers performing 10.1 points better per 100 possessions when he’s on the court.
Despite this, Los Angeles finds itself struggling to stay afloat, unable to form any sort of momentum as a team. They hoped to form a formidable big three to capture another championship for LeBron and company by trading for Russell Westbrook in the offseason. So far, that experiment has failed, with rumors of trading Mr. Triple-Double already surfacing.
With LeBron maintaining an MVP level, let’s look at the three main reasons for the Lakers .500 record.