Lakers News: Telling Stat Indicates LA’s Biggest Issue

The Lakers' offense isn't just "inconsistent" or "ugly." It's one of the league's worst, and the stats back it up.

A few times I've referred to the teams' points per game output as a key indicator of their overall performance, but that number has been fluctuating regularly and doesn't tell the whole story, at all.

The above stat was recently aired by ESPN, and it tells a disastrous story. LA's offensive efficiency ranks 24th in the league, trailing the Jordan Poole- and Kyle Kuzma-led Washington Wizards, while sitting just above 2 tanking teams in the Charlotte Hornets and Utah Jazz.

The offense has issues top-down, and I feel as though on a biweekly basis I'm writing different pieces discussing varying issues with the Lakers' offense, only for none of those issues to ever improve.

At one point, it was over-reliance on Austin Reaves to create shots, at another point, it was poor off-ball movement and offensive simplicity, and at another (and most recently), it was the underutilization of Anthony Davis. All 3 of these are somehow still problems, despite it being over 1/3 of the way into the season.

This team simply lacks the personnel, coaching, and offensive system to execute a top-tier offense. Players struggle to stay consistent, play alongside each other, and maximize on their strengths.

Players like Jarred Vanderbilt can defend but not shoot, D'Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves can shoot but not defend, and players like Taurean Prince, Jaxson Hayes, and D'Angelo Russell are often seen doing neither.

This team needs a scoring boost, and they need it as soon as possible. An aging LeBron James, an underutilized Anthony Davis, and an Austin Reaves who's playing 27 minutes per game aren't enough to anchor even a league-average offense. Statistically, this team could be out as early as round one if they don't get it together.