The Lakers are looking for consistency within the ranks of a young and inexperienced team. Every time they take one step forward the next few days they take two steps back. As of Jan. 22, the Lakers are 17-29 and that puts them 12th place out of 15 Western Conference teams. Eight teams from the East and make the playoffs. The three top teams in the in the Western conference all have over 30 wins.
Can a team with no elite players win consistently in the National Basketball Association (NBA)? The answer is yes. But do the Lakers have those types of players? The answer is maybe. If all of their key players play up to their potential the Lakers can still make a run at the playoffs. If they continue to be inconsistent they will remain one of the worst teams in the NBA.
“Every decision I make might not always be the right one but it’s what I believe is the best for the team,” said Laker head coach Luke Walton who is also young for an NBA coach. Walton, who is in his second year as the coach of the Lakers is 37 years old. “I put a big value on making sure the players know that me and my staff care about them not only as basketball players but as people.”
Walton has been criticized about how he uses players but you have to also realize injuries and other factors play a huge part in how coaches rotate their players in and out of games. “My basketball decisions are not based on making my players happy it’s based on what’s best for the team,” said Walton.
From Dec. 22, through Jan. 7, the Lakers lost nine games in a row. That’s when a lot of people questioned Walton and how he uses his players. One of the main reasons the Lakers are not winning is their highly regarded point guard, Lonzo Ball has missed a lot of games. At one point in the season the Lakers were 0-8 without Ball in the lineup.
Ball is a pass first point guard who makes everyone around him better. His only year in college at UCLA he led the Bruins to a 31-5 record and he was one of the top assists players in the nation. College and professional basketball are totally different but Ball seems to be able to play at a high level even if he is not a great soccer. “We know how important Lonzo is to this team,” said Walton. “The way he pushes the ball up the court and he hits whoever is open.”
The Lakers have talent but they don’t have elite talent like some of the top NBA teams. Brandon Ingram, Julius Randle, Larry Nance Jr., Kyle Kuzma and Jordan Clarkson are good players. What the Lakers need to compete against the best teams in the league are a few great players. They are hoping that free agents like LeBron James and Paul George will decide to come west next summer and join a franchise that has won 16 NBA championships.
“We have a lot of young players but the main way for us to win is to play for each other and share the ball,” said Walton. “I told the players no one is going to feel sorry for us.”
