The Los Angeles Lakers are picking up right where they left off last season, and LeBron James is not candy-coating things.
The Lakers fell in Tuesday night’s season opener against the Golden State Warriors by the final of 123-109. They trailed by as many as 27 at one point and shot just 10-for-40 (25 percent) from deep as a team.
After the game, James made the very blunt admission that the Lakers roster lacks shooters.
“I think we’re getting great looks and I think it also could be teams giving us great looks,” said the former MVP, per Ben Golliver of the Washington Post. “I mean to be completely honest, we’re not a team that’s constructed of great shooting, and that’s just what the truth of the matter is. It’s not like we’re sitting here with a lot of lasers on our team.
“But that doesn’t deter us from still trying to get great shots, and when you get those opportunities, you take them,” James added. “But we’re not sitting here with a bunch of 40-plus [percent] career three-point shooting guys.”
The formula for success in a James-led offense has always been to surround The King with three or four long-range bombers. But with Tuesday’s starting lineup of Anthony Davis, Patrick Beverley, Russell Westbrook, and Lonnie Walker IV, James perhaps has one (Beverley, a 37.7 percent career three-point shooter). The Lakers bench isn’t too much better either as they are relying on Matt Ryan (an undrafted, little-known rookie) and Kendrick Nunn (who missed all of last season) for floor-spacing.
James’ comment about the Lakers not being “constructed of great shooting” also reads as a possible dig at the front office for the roster they assembled over the offseason. Maybe this is James’ way of putting pressure on the Lakers to go get another shooter or two like this potential trade target.
