The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the strongest teams in the NBA this season. After all, the trio of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook is at the helm of the team. Previously, with just LBJ and Davis, the Lakers lifted an NBA Championship, but adding Westbrook to the mix gave birth to a super team.
Additionally, the bench featuring the likes of Carmelo Anthony and DeAndre Jordan further bolsters their cause. There is still one issue, while most of the league prefers to rely more on three-point shooting, the Lakers don't so much. In fact, both LeBron and Westbrook are not elite three-point shooters.
The result? NBA analyst Skip Bayless is back at scrutinizing LeBron and the Lakers. This time around, he has used LeBron and Russell's underwhelming three-point shooting percentage.
"Can't wait to see LeBrick and Westbrick launching threes from the Lakers' backcourt."
This isn't the first time that Skip has criticized the two Lakers superstars and knowing him, this won't be the last time either. But this time around, Skip is at least partially correct.
Looking at the stats of LBJ-Westbrook duo beyond the three-point line from the previous season really puts things into perspective. While LeBron shot 36.5% from the 3-point line, Westbrook shot just 31.5%. Moreover, Russ attempted 4.2 such shots per game!
Moving forward, the Lakers either need to find other players to rely on to take care of the three-point shooting department or the two stars need to drastically improve this aspect of their game.
The previous ones sound like a much feasible solution. It will also allow them to focus on inside scoring and playmaking. We are well aware that both Russ and LeBron are a menace to opponents in the aforementioned departments.
All things considered, the hopes of winning an NBA title this season rely on the shoulders of the superstar duo and Davis. They need to do what's best for the team and focus more on the other areas of their games.
If they can do that, it is hard to see them stopping from making it all the way to the final. And fans might finally get to see an all-out battle between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets, which is expected to be one of the most anticipated matchups of the 2021-22 season.
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