3 improvements the Los Angeles Lakers need to make ahead of Christmas

3. The Los Angeles Lakers need to score more at the rim

This was the team’s bread and butter last season. The Los Angeles Lakers scored the second-most points in the paint last season, trailing just the Memphis Grizzlies, who averaged 55.9 points in the paint while the Lakers averaged 51.7 points in the paint.

The Lakers did not score at the rim much in this game. In fact, they were outscored at the rim by a Los Angeles Clippers team that does not have the same size that the Lakers do.

The Lakers scored 38 points in the paint as opposed to 50 for the Clippers. Again, it is just one game, but the worst team in the league last season (the Miami Heat) still averaged 43.1 points in the paint per game. That number is just way too low.

Granted, this team is a bit different. Marc Gasol is not as reliable of a lob option as Dwight Howard or even JaVale McGee. But they still have Montrezl Harrell, who gets his offense in the paint, Dennis Schroder, who is great at driving to the rim and the superstar tandem of LeBron and AD.

To be fair, the Lakers did not force many threes in this game and only took 29. They have to get to the rim more and they have to finish their chances as well.

While last night was not terrible, the Lakers were not a good free-throw shooting team last season and part of the reason why the points in the paint were so low is that they got to the free-throw line 31 times, making 24 times.

They have to score more in the paint. It goes against the grain but it led to a championship.