Lakers Hot Takes After 1st Week of 2022-23 NBA Season
Entering Wednesday night, the Los Angeles Lakers are one of only three teams without a win to show for the 2022-23 NBA season.
But, hey, they lost by double digits on opening night and have kept things to single digits their last two times out. So, that's something, right?
Look, it's way too early to label this an abject failure, although, by wins and losses at least, it literally can't get any worse. But it's not too early to let the hot takes fly, so we're unloading a few spicy observations here.
Russell Westbrook Is Washed
Three seasons back, Russell Westbrook was an All-Star. Two seasons ago, he played a pivotal role in steering the Washington Wizards to their first playoff appearance in three years. While he proved a massive disappointment last season with the Lakers, he at least found his way to 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists per night.
Over the summer, if you summoned your most optimistic tone, you could talk yourself into Westbrook playing an important role with this team. New Lakers skipper Darvin Ham certainly tried.
However, it's time to pull the plug. Westbrook has looked atrocious so far, and while you could probably blame a variety of factors—an imperfect fit with the roster, an unclear role within the Lakers' hierarchy, hamstring soreness—maybe it's as simple as this: He's an athleticism-dependent point guard who's approaching his 34th birthday. His days resembling anything close to a star might simply be behind him.
His decision-making has long been questionable at best, but these struggles are something different. He isn't beating defenders off the dribble or finishing around the rim. He's shooting 11-of-38 overall (28.9 percent) and 1-of-12 from three (.083). Maybe a change of scenery could get him on track, but if this is his new norm, his days as a productive player are finished.
This Offense Can't Function with Shooting Shortage
Theoretically, the Lakers are built to go as far as LeBron James and Anthony Davis can take them.
Well, the pair are pumping in a combined 52 points per night, and this is still the Association's least efficient offense by a wide margin, per NBA.com. How is that even possible? We'll let James answer that one.
"We're not a team that's constructed of great shooting, and that's just what the truth of the matter is," James told reporters. "It's not like we're sitting here with a lot of lasers on our team. ... We're not sitting here with a bunch of 40-plus [percent] career three-point shooting guys."
The Lakers can't get any breathing room inside of the arc because opposing defenses have no reason to venture outside of it. Eight different players have attempted more than five long-range looks, and none has connected on even 29 percent of those shots. This offensive formula is fatally flawed.
This Season Could Be Lost Without a Trade ASAP
It's never easy to completely count out the Lakers, even if three of James' first four seasons in Hollywood finished without a playoff series win. If they can just snag a playoff spot, they can at least make opponents sweat with James, Davis and the NBA's second-best defense.
Saying that, though, this isn't a situation that can be solved internally. Westbrook is a bad fit—on paper, in practice and even on the cap sheet. It was a head-scratcher to go get him, and it's been every bit as brutal as that trade's many skeptics thought it would be.
The Lakers have to do a Westbrook deal and do it quickly. While they reportedly "appear determined to give the current roster a proper sample size of 20-to-25 games and assess their needs," per The Athletic's Shams Charania, they can't risk waiting that long. Given the depth of the Western Conference, a brutal quarter-season might just push L.A. past the point of no return.
Turning Westbrook—and draft picks—into players who space the floor and defend is a no-brainer. Sure, there's some long-term risk, but with James nearing his 38th birthday, L.A. should be solely focused on the here and now.