The Los Angeles Lakers are 36-24 at the 60-game mark and have bounced back with two straight blowout wins after losing their previous three games.
The Lakers are 3-3 since returning from the All-Star break and have suffered some disappointing losses to good teams (BOS, ORL, PHX) in the process, despite having a fully intact, healthy roster.
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At the moment, the Lakers are the healthiest they have been all season. The star trio in Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves are finally together on the floor and their play has shown the lack of time together.
They have just played 16 games together out of the 60 games thus far, but in their recent 20-point blowout wins over the Warriors and Kings, you can see their chemistry slowly rising and the team beginning to gel as a unit.
But the important test still remains: how will they fare against the good teams?
They’ve shown this season that they can beat down on the lower-tier teams, being 23-7 against teams under .500, but have yet to establish themselves versus good teams, with a 13-7 record against teams with winning records.
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Let’s delve deeper into the Lakers’ start, where they rank among the other teams in the NBA, and more importantly, where their stars stand among the best of the best.
First, here are their notable rankings in the NBA on both sides of the ball at 60 games:
OFFENSE:
Luka Dončić has been the engine to the Lakers’ offense this season as he still leads the NBA in scoring at 32.5 points per contest while averaging 7.7 rebounds and 8.6 assists in 48 games.
Dončić’s efficiency, along with James and Reaves, has pushed the Lakers to have the NBA’s best field goal percentage, a mark they’ve held in the league for the majority of the season.
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The Lakers have seven players shooting over 50% this season which includes James and Reaves at 50% from the pair. L.A.’s top two bigmen, Deandre Ayton (66.7%) and Jaxson Hayes (77%), led the team in field goal percentage.
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Offensive Efficiency |
10th at 116.5 |
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Points a Game |
13th at 115.9 |
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FG% |
1st at 49.9% |
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3-Point % |
17th at 35.7% |
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3-pointers a Game |
23rd at 11.9 |
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Free Throws a Game |
2nd at 26.6 |
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Turnovers a Game |
17th worst at 14.7 a contest |
Defense:
Defense has been the inconsistent battle the Lakers have struggled with all season. In their losses to good opponents, L.A. have yet to match those teams’ physicality, and when they have, it’s only been in spurts and not all 48 minutes of the contest.
The Lakers are 26th in the NBA in opponents’ field goal percentage, allowing the fifth highest a game this season at 48%.
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Defensive Efficiency |
22nd in the NBA at 116.3 |
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Points Allowed a Game |
16th at 115 |
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Rebounds a Game |
29th at 40.9 |
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Steals a Game |
18th at 8.2 |
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Opponents’ FG% Allowed |
5th highest at 48% |
The Bright Side:
On the bright side, the Lakers are rolling hot at the moment and their last two games have catapulted them among the best in the NBA on both sides. They are 10th in the NBA in points allowed (110.2) and have had the third-best-rated offense since the return from the All-Star break.
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There should be a lot of optimism surrounding the Lakers as the star trio continues to add more time on the floor together. More time will equal more cohesiveness as long as their energy and effort are high against good opponents.
But their biggest question mark will determine their success this season. Can they play at the level of the top teams in the NBA?