3. Kuzma struggles with his shot
Throughout his excellent rookie season, one of Kyle Kuzma’s biggest weapons was his 3-point shooting. It started in the 2017 Summer League and continued throughout the regular season, where he converted 159 shots beyond the arc, shooting 36.6 percent.
In the offseason, Kuzma worked hard on his body and is noticeably thicker and stronger. As a result, he is better able to finish at the rim. But he shot poorly from long distance in the preseason and has made just 2-of-12 attempts (16.7 percent) in the first two games.
Is it possible his bigger upper body is hampering his 3-point stroke? Time will tell, but so far his outside shooting has been unimpressive.
4. Defensive struggles
The Lakers defense is, in a word, awful so far. This is especially true once McGee exits the game. The team has not made up for the absence of Julius Randle, who played well as a small-ball center last year. Kuzma is willing to try but is not as big or strong as Randle, who is averaging 19 points and 11 rebounds and has even made 3-of-6 3-pointers, with 2-0 New Orleans.
For the Lakers, nobody other than McGee has stepped up to protect the rim. Too often, once an opponent beats his man off the dribble, all other Lakers stay rooted where they are and watch rather than defend against an uncontested lay-up. Those spectators include James, who has not demonstrated to his teammates how to rotate defensively.
Team defense takes time to develop, but one of the reasons the Lakers brought in veterans was purportedly to set a defensive example for the younger players.