Fansided

NBA: 4 Key Takeaways From the First Week of Play

By John Bauman

Oct 30, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) reacts after scoring a layup while being fouled in the first quarter against the New York Knicks at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 30, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) reacts after scoring a layup while being fouled in the first quarter against the New York Knicks at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 29, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) reacts in the second half against the Phoenix Suns during the home opener at US Airways Center. The Suns defeated the Lakers 119-99. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 29, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) reacts in the second half against the Phoenix Suns during the home opener at US Airways Center. The Suns defeated the Lakers 119-99. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

The Lakers are going to be really bad

The Los Angeles Lakers struck out in free agency this offseason and knew coming into the season that this year would be a bit of a rocky road. But through three games, the Lakers have looked really bad on defense and lost their young power forward and first round draft pick, Julius Randle. A word on the Randle loss, before getting into the overall stinkyness of the Lakers. That loss is a real stinger for the Lakers, because he was going to get a chance to blossom this season in L.A. If this season went south quickly, Laker fans knew at least that Randle would be able to develop into a key piece for the purple and gold down the road. Randle’s injury means that the Lakers lose their top draft pick in a year where they really needed one to inject new life into the team’s rotation.

The biggest issue with the Lakers is the defense, which through three games has a defensive rating of 119.3. Defensive rating is the number of points a defensive allows per 100 possessions, and 119 is a really high number. The Lakers just don’t have any above average defenders really anywhere on the roster, unless you consider Kobe Bryant at age 36 to be one.

A lot of people thought the Lakers would be bad, but they didn’t show many signs of life in their first three losses. They are headed straight to the top of the lottery and definitely won’t be competing for a playoff spot in the very tough Western Conference.

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