The Los Angeles Lakers’ lack of depth (due to injury) is magnifying the big 3’s early-season fit issues.
Heading into the start of the 2021–22 NBA season, one of the biggest question marks revolved around the Los Angeles Lakers.
After adding Russell Westbrook during the offseason, the new-look Lakers were battling high expectations with arguably one of the best trios of stars in the league. Certainly in the Western Conference. And after we didn’t see much, if at all, of this new big three in the preseason, the Lakers somewhat left much to be desired during their first two games of the regular season.
Even though the duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis has lived up to their individual expectations, and then some, the regular season debut of Westbrook has been extremely underwhelming. So much so, coupled with his inefficiency during the preseason, there are many already questioning the fit of Westbrook next to LeBron and AD. after just two games.
But this was always a possibility. Westbrook is not the easiest star to play next to, and his game doesn’t seem like it’s going to age well at all. In fairness to the Lakers, it wasn’t just the addition of Westbrook to a an aging LeBron and an often-injured Davis that raised the ceiling for this team, it was also the depth that they acquired during the offseason to their supporting cast.
The Lakers added arguably eight players that could contribute at one point this season in the rotation. However, as early as it is in the regular season, many of those players are already out of action.
And without the depth, the Lakers are simply a healthier version of last season while at the same time trying to add a piece that is not easily adaptable. At the moment, the Lakers are missing Trevor Ariza, Kendrick Nunn, Wayne Ellington, and Talen Horton-Tucker – who are all out due to injury.
Here’s the key with the Lakers’ early-season struggles: when the Lakers don’t have as much depth as they thought they were going to have heading into the season, it magnifies Westbrook’s lack of a fit even more.
In fairness, Westbrook shouldn’t fit this early. He’s played only a handful of minutes with LeBron and AD. and it was always going to take time for this trio to mesh. It’s not concerning that Westbrook doesn’t exactly look like he’s going to match perfectly with the Lakers’ dynamic duo, the concern revolves around the injuries that have already begun to pile up over just the first week of the season.
If there’s any sign of hope it’s that after the Memphis Grizzlies, the Lakers will play six games against non-playoff teams. If there’s a time for this team to get right – and for Westbrook to get more comfortable in this lineup – the next couple of weeks will be the time to do so.
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October 23, 2021 at 07:00PM
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Los Angeles Lakers: Lack of depth is magnifying big 3’s fit issues - Sir Charles In Charge
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