The Los Angeles Lakers have started the season 0-3. Here is the good, the bad and the ugly for the Lakers so far.
When a team starts a season with no wins, it can sometimes be hard to find the good. The Lakers have a few things to be excited about.
The team has been plagued with injuries since before the season began. They did receive some good news on the injury front this week. Guard Troy Brown Jr. has officially been cleared to play.
Brown Jr. signed a one-year contract with the Lakers this offseason. Sunday afternoon however was the first time he has been able to play. He has been dealing with a lingering back injury since training camp. His 6’ 11” wingspan will give the Lakers some size and athleticism they have been missing.
Another thing to be excited about is, LeBron James. At 37 years old, James is still setting records. During Sunday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers, James tied Karl Malone’s record for most 20-point games. The two are currently tied at 1,134 career 20-point games.
James is also chasing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record. He is expected to break the record around January.
James and Anthony Davis are both playing well through the first three games. They are averaging 25.5 and 26 points per game respectively. The problem lies with their supporting cast.
James has played his best basketball when he has a team with depth and can shoot. His time in Cleveland and Miami allowed him to have shooters like Kyrie Irving and Dwayne Wade around him. This Lakers roster has not been able to prove that they can provide him that kind of support.
Russell Westbrook is averaging 10.5 points in 29 minutes per game. Some of the team’s newest editions Patrick Beverley, Juan Toscano-Anderson and Matt Ryan are only averaging 4 points per game.
During the off-season, the Lakers signed Dennis Schroder to add shooting and Thomas Bryant to add size. Neither of them has had much playing time, and it seems things have gotten worse.
Both Schroder and Bryant are expected to be out for at least the next three-to-four weeks. They both injured their thumbs and underwent surgery this week to repair the damage.
Schroder missed the majority of the preseason due to visa issues. He played one preseason game when was finally able to return to the U.S. In the one game, he only played 9 minutes before injuring his thumb.
Bryant played all six of the Lakers’ preseason games, but sprained his prior to the season opener.
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