The Los Angeles Lakers have not been great and that is okay.
Currently, the Los Angeles Lakers are ranked as the 5th seed in the Western Conference. Along with this, they have a lackluster 3-2 record through their first five games of the season.
Their two losses came against both teams that made the playoffs last season along with teams that are ranked in front of them in the standings. Despite this, plenty of Lakers fans are still concerned that this is an early indicator of how the Lakers season is going to go.
There is a little bit of reason to be concerned so far this season. The team’s leader LeBron James seems to be off to a very slow start compared to any other season of his 18 year career. Through the first four games, James was averaging 22.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game.
If the season were to end today, this would be the lowest points per game that James has had since his rookie season in 2003-2004.
Although the Los Angeles Lakers are far short of where they want to be right now, there are a handful of explanations as to why. Along with this, there are also a few reasons as to why the slow start should not concern Lakers fans.
The first reason as to why the Lakers are starting off slow is because there are a lot of new pieces being added to the roster that play big roles in the game. Players like Dennis Schröder, Montrezl Harrell, Marc Gasol, and Wesley Matthews were either traded for or signed with the Lakers in the offseason.
With this being one of the weirdest offseasons we have ever seen in terms of teams getting to practice together it makes sense why the Los Angeles Lakers are not playing as effectively as they should be.
A second reason as to why the Lakers are not playing at an elite level right now is that they do not care about the regular season. Fans of the Lakers should think of the first half of the regular season as a glorified preseason for the team.
The Lakers are coming off of the shortest offseason in NBA history and being a team comprised of veterans, it makes sense that they will not be taking the beginning of the season very seriously. Players like LeBron James will likely be playing at half speed and slowly ramping up their effort level as the season progresses.
This makes sense as to not overstrain his body and give it a chance to rest and recover from the postseason bubble. Along with this, it gives other players the opportunity to get more comfortable and play a bigger role in the offense with James taking a step back at the beginning of the season.
Although the Los Angeles Lakers are currently the 5th seed in the Western Conference and are barely above .500, Lakers fans should remain calm. There are plenty of reasons as to why this slow start should be expected and should not be a major concern.