The Los Angeles Lakers are unsure of how to assess themselves after 20 games.

Are they the mediocre club that has struggled both offensively and against opponents that are better than.500? Are they a sleeping behemoth whose injuries and hard early schedule have destroyed them? In the midst of nowhere?

Anthony Davis told reporters last week, “It’s difficult to say what needs to change or what can get better without seeing our entire team.”

It takes a sophisticated approach to analyze the Lakers at the halfway point of the season. Their 11-9 record seems unsatisfactory at first glance for a team that wants to win a championship. They rank poorly for a real contender—23rd on offensive and 14th on defense. In 12 of the 20 games, they have trailed at the end of the first quarter, including eight occasions by double digits. They are statistically the worst 3-point shooting team in the NBA. They are only 5-9 when playing clubs that are.500 or higher. The top four players on the team—Davis, LeBron James, Austin Reaves, and D’Angelo Russell—have missed just two games combined.

However, it’s hard to overlook how their season has been affected by injuries. Jarred Vanderbilt is still without a game experience. Out of 20 games, Gabe Vincent has missed 16. Rui Hachimura has missed eight games so far this season, or almost half of it. Cam Reddish has missed four games since making his debut as a starter in November. Los Angeles has also, depending on the statistic, played between the eighth and the eleventh hardest schedule.

The Lakers’ coach, Darvin Ham, stated, “I mean, we haven’t been whole,” following Thursday’s 133-110 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Making an evaluation at the 20-game mark is impossible. You always need to be prepared to have a plan B–Z on hand. We are certain that we have the pieces needed to advance the team significantly over the season once we have everyone in their proper physical positions.

James was in a more positive mood following what he implied was a predictable loss to the Thunder, with the Lakers on the second night of a back-to-back and missing five rotation players (Vanderbilt, Vincent, Hachimura, Reddish, and Jaxson Hayes). James had bluntly stated that “a lot” needed to change following the Lakers’ historic 44-point loss to the 76ers last Monday.

James remarked, “I have no idea what we are.” “How?” As of yet, we lack a group. We don’t yet have a group as a team, but I am aware of who some of us are on an individual basis. I’m not sure. We’re over.500, but we haven’t played enough minutes together to know, “Well, we got the starting group, we got the guys coming in, we got a good rhythm.” We are currently 11-9 and have never been in the same group. That is quite remarkable.

These are nine additional lessons learned from the Lakers’ opening twenty games of the season.

1. The dynamic inactive roster

The Lakers’ best recent news is that they are becoming healthier. Let’s review a few injury updates:

Hachimura (fractured nasal bone) and Vanderbilt (left heel bursitis) are both cleared to play against the Rockets on Saturday. It will be Hachimura’s 13th game of the season and Vanderbilt’s first. After missing so much time, Vanderbilt is anticipated to resume his position as the team’s starting small forward alongside Davis and James on Saturday, though it’s uncertain if he will start.

Vincent does not yet have a schedule (left knee effusion). His scheduled reevaluation was supposed to have taken place more than two weeks ago.

Reddish (soreness in his right groin) and Hayes (soreness in his left elbow) are both expected to play versus Houston but are otherwise considered day-to-day.

2. The King of Clutches

James’s decision-making under pressure has long been questioned. James, in contrast to many of his illustrious scoring peers, would prefer to construct the best shot possible rather than force a contested, lower-percentage shot (though he has done it on occasion as well), even if it means giving up possession and passing to a teammate.

The funniest thing about the national conversation about James’ throw to Reddish in a Miami early-season loss is that, like most of his career, James has been excellent in the clutch this season.

This season, the Lakers have trailed for extended periods of time and have a negative point difference of -30. However, they have one of the league’s top late-game coordinators who can create high-percentage shoots and control time and score if the game gets close.

When there have been “clutch” moments in their games—that is, when the score is within five points with five minutes or less remaining—they are 6-3. That is evidence of James’ capacity to control games at pivotal times. Among the 73 players who have taken at least 10 shots in the clutch, James is tied for fourth in field goals attempted (26) and fifth in points scored in the clutch (45). He also leads the NBA in field goals made (17).

While he hasn’t always been flawless—his decision-making during the team’s surprisingly bad game against the Dallas Mavericks on November 22 was one example—he is still among the finest closers in the league.

3. AD’s diminished leap shot

There was false rumors circulating during training camp that Davis’ jumper had returned. Not only has his shooting not improved this season, but it has declined dramatically from previous seasons.

Throughout the course of 19 games this season, Davis has only made 3 of 11 (37.3%) 3-pointers. His average attempts per game is 0.61, which is the lowest since his third season in the league in 2014–2015. That’s about a tenth of the six tries that Ham requested during training camp. During the preseason, Davis had good 3-ball shooting, making six of his 13 attempts in five games (or roughly 2.6 attempts per game). However, it hasn’t carried over to the regular season.

It’s not just the threes; Davis finds it difficult to leap shots in general. He’s making just 15.0 percent of his mid-range shots, by far the lowest percentage of his career, and is only shooting 17.7 percent outside the paint.

Teams now embrace Davis’ jumper rather than dread it. That helps to explain his offensive inconsistency and is a major factor in the Lakers’ offense’s ease of stifling. In other words, Davis has essentially gone from being a three-level scorer in the championship season to a one-level scorer now, so teams rarely worry about him launching a midrange jumper or 3-pointer. When L.A. attempts to ramp up its offense and make more threes; the success or failure of the effort will depend on Davis’ jump shooting, or lack thereof. 4. A potentially lethal defect

When the Lakers are not playing a lottery-caliber team like the Pistons, Trail Blazers, Jazz, or Grizzlies, their offense has generally faltered. The largest stain on their competitive resume is their offensive, which is ranked 23rd.

There are other issues at hand: the roster lacks downhill creators outside of James, the five-out offense hasn’t performed as well as expected, and injuries have prevented lineup stability.

Still, the team’s debilitating inability to make 3-pointers has been the primary cause. In terms of 3-pointers made per 100 possessions, attempted per 100 possessions, and 3-point percentage, the Lakers are ranked 30th, 30th, and 28th in the NBA. While there are issues with all three categories, the absence of attempts may be the most concerning given that a five-out offense ought to be generating driving lanes that result in kick-out passes and numerous open three-pointers.

When it comes to his team getting more threes, Ham stated, “sometimes the game doesn’t allow that to happen.” Therefore, we must keep up our good work and never stop looking for ways to acquire them without using force. We don’t want to give up or decline a layup in order to get more threes, so it needs to be organic. I want to take the greatest possible shot. We’re aware of that and will definitely get better at it as we start to add players back to the starting lineup.

The Lakers should try to shoot and, ideally, take more threes. They’re not winning the math game against opponents who are of a reasonable caliber.

It doesn’t seem like returning injured players will fix this problem. Among the role players who have missed time, only Vincent has demonstrated long-range shooting ability; nevertheless, Hachimura and Reddish are also producing strong low-volume numbers this year. The Lakers will continue to struggle with subpar offensive performances if they play like a bottom-10, if not bottom-three, 3-point shooting team. Their positive regression is overdue.

5. The trading season is here.

In two weeks, on December 15, trade season will begin (though talks can undoubtedly begin earlier). The majority of players who signed contracts this past summer can be relocated as of that day.

Russell, Vincent, Taurean Prince, Reddish, Christian Wood, and Hayes are among the Lakers’ players. Reaves and Hachimura cannot be traded before January 15. Davis is not tradeable until February 6. This season, Vanderbilt cannot be traded. The only players on the team eligible for trade until December 15 are LeBron James, Max Christie, Jalen Hood-Schifino, and Maxwell Lewis.

The Lakers are reportedly interested in three Bulls players: Alex Caruso, a former Laker, DeMar DeRozan, and Zach LaVine, according to reports from The Athletic. Although DeRozan or Caruso have contracts that are about to expire (Caruso has a partial guarantee for 2024–25), the Lakers are interested in LaVine but would prefer to acquire DeRozan or Caruso due to their greater flexibility. In particular, Caruso meets a glaring requirement for an outstanding backcourt defender and has previously shown that he can succeed in the James and Davis partnership.

Having saying that, don’t anticipate moving beyond December 15. The Lakers intend to approach the trade market patiently, according to team sources who aren’t allowed to speak to the media. They would rather wait to make a significant personnel decision until they have a better idea of how their squad as a whole looks. They are still assessing their requirements and will keep an eye on the league, particularly any fire sales that may occur in Toronto, Washington, Utah, Brooklyn, or Charlotte and result in the availability of valuable rotation players.

Similar to how they acquired Hachimura a few weeks ahead of schedule last season, there’s always a chance they make a move before the February deadline, but a trade is much more likely to occur later in the trading window than earlier.

6. Looking back at Reaves as a sixth man

Reaves’ benching has largely been successful thus far in dividing him and Russell and distributing the Lakers’ second-unit lineups. Since the trade, the Lakers have gone 8-4, finishing sixth on defense and 17th on offense. Reaves is playing lot better, but it’s hard to tell how much of that is because he’s becoming more of a sixth man rather than because he’s getting his legs back and handling the ball more.

After a sluggish start to the season, Reaves is shooting the ball better, scoring more, getting to the free-throw line more, creating more opportunities, and generally acting as a net-positive player. Here is how he has performed off the bench compared to as a starter. The change has also had a knock-on effect, enabling Reddish and Christie to flourish in lineups when their roles are reduced to that of 3-and-D supporting actors for James, Davis, and Russell.

Reaves feels that he has a lot of space for growth and isn’t happy with his recent play. He believes that his shooting is an area where L.A.’s below-average offense can be improved.

Reaves stated on Thursday, “I mean, I can speak for myself only and I just haven’t shot the ball well.” “I’m shooting them with confidence and I like the shots that I’ve received.” It simply hasn’t entered.

Reaves’ early-season inefficiency can be attributed to a number of factors, including exhaustion from his time with Team USA, opponents defending him differently now that he’s closer to the top of their scouting reports, Reaves’ personal adjustment to the Lakers’ point guard lineup, a straightforward early-season slump, and others. Reaves acknowledges that he has seen various defensive looks, but he is adamant that he is receiving the kinds of shots he desires.

Reaves responded, “I think it’s a little bit of both,” when asked if he has observed different defensive tactics this season being used against him. “I don’t believe I’ve had any unpleasant shots. In the first half (against the Thunder), I believe I made three 3-pointers, all of which looked terrific. I just couldn’t produce them. And that’s just basketball, as I mentioned. I’m getting advice from coaches and players alike to keep shooting them. Thus, it is what I intend to accomplish.

The Lakers still haven’t found out how to get the most out of Reaves this season, whether he starts or comes off the bench. In addition, he is a better and more reliable player. However, for the next three months of the season, figuring out how to employ him most effectively should be one of the Lakers’ primary priorities.7. Which lineups are effective?

Here are some intriguing lineup statistics from the first 20 games, albeit with the disclaimer that we’re still working with small sample sizes.

The starting lineups of the Lakers are the only three five-man groups with at least 50 minutes of play experience. The initial group, which included Russell, Davis, James, Taurean Prince, and Reaves, has steadily improved. When Reaves checks in, the group logs minutes in the middle of the first and third quarters. After 89 minutes against that group, the Lakers are plus-7. In 69 minutes, the Lakers are ahead six points, and the next group to play is Russell, Davis, James, Reddish, and Prince. Lastly, after 53 minutes, the Lakers’ most recent starting fivesome, which included Russell, Christie, James, Prince, and Davis, is a plus-12.

James and Wood are the Lakers’ best two-man combo, at least for 100 minutes. In their 212 minutes together, Los Angeles has scored 71 points more than their opponents. James’s downhill approach has benefited from Wood’s spacing and shooting.

Christie and Reaves are the worst two-man combo for the Lakes, at least for a hundred minutes. In their combined 129 minutes, Los Angeles has been outscored by 43 points thus far. These minutes have typically come from bench players or players who have struggled for the Lakers overall toward the end of the first or third quarter.

In the 375 minutes that James, Davis, and Russell have played together, the Lakers are plus-69. Surprisingly, they are plus-3 in the 172 minutes that James, Davis, Russell, and Reaves have shared the court and minus-15 in the 238 minutes that they have played together.

In their 195 minutes together, lineups featuring Davis and Wood have outscored opponents by nine points. In their combined 31 minutes, lineups featuring Davis and Hayes have outscored opponents by a single point. In their 122 minutes together, lineups featuring Wood and Hayes have been outscored by 27 points. In recent weeks, the two-center lineups have not been as effective.

James, Russell, Wood, Vincent, and Reddish make up the majority of the Lakers’ strongest lineup combinations. Reaves, Prince, Christie, and Wood are included in the most of their poorest works.

8. The fifth person to fire

If not immediately, but soon after, Vanderbilt should be back in the starting lineup. Between Prince, Reddish, Christie, and yes, Reaves, the fifth starting slot could become available as a result.

Since opening night, Prince has been the current occupant. Early on in training camp, he made an impression by winning the starting fight and scoring more than eighteen points in two of the first three games. Since then, though, he has significantly cooled off, shooting just 20.9 percent on threes in his next 11 games. Reddish and Christie have outperformed him despite his comeback to go 8 of 15 on threes in his last three games. Reddish and Christie fill crucial roles as superior rebounders and point-of-attack defenders. With a completely healthy team, Prince should be the player who loses the most minutes, even though his play has so far won Ham’s allegiance.

Reddish is expected to be the most recent successful Lakers reclamation project, following in the footsteps of previous seasons’ players like Stanley Johnson, Lonnie Walker IV, and Malik Monk. Considering that his play had not yet justified a promotion, his inclusion in the starting lineup was unexpected, but it has been successful. Here are Reddish’s splits between starting and reserve roles: Before suffering an injury two weeks ago, he led the league in steals in November, demonstrating his formidable defensive abilities. His ability to shoot from long range—he has made 41.2 percent of his threes as a starter—will be the main element in determining how much of a part he plays.

The team’s recent spate of injuries has primarily benefited Christie. He is now expected to be the team’s starting guard defender after being thrown into a starting role. According to NBA.com, he performed admirably when facing up against Donovan Mitchell on November 25, holding the Cavaliers all-star to just five points on 1-of-7 shooting. Christie is a skilled defender because of his footwork, posture, hand agility, and intellect. In addition, he is a skilled cutter with an eye for spotting gaps. It will be difficult to exclude him from the lineup.

Finally, there is Reaves. The starting lineup that the Lakers used in the regular season of 2022–2023 and the first two rounds of the 2023 playoffs consisted of Russell, Davis, James, Vanderbilt, and Reaves. Many of the defensive and on-glass shortcomings of the Reaves-Russell combination are countered by Vanderbilt’s length, vigor, and agility. Definitely worth a try again.

9. optimism for the season’s tournament

One of the teams that has benefited from the first-ever In-Season Tournament is the Lakers, who have shown their best qualities. With a strong plus-74 point differential—the greatest in the league by a wide margin—they secured the top seed in the West.

Looking back, their group was not too difficult. Without Ja Morant, Memphis has been the biggest underdog in the league. Compared to last season, Utah has significantly declined. The starting lineup for Phoenix hasn’t played together yet, as Devin Booker was sidelined in both of the team’s games against Los Angeles. (includes the Lakers’ victory in the Phoenix In-Season Tournament). Despite its recent two-game winning streak, Portland remains possibly the worst club in the West.

Nevertheless, they had no influence over the Lakers’ matchups, and they completely destroyed their team. The team’s confidence and the way the public views their season debut would both be greatly enhanced by a victory over Booker and the Suns on Tuesday. Each player will receive at least $100,000 (and possibly up to $500,000 if they win the championship) as compensation for winning.

The Lakers intend to play in Las Vegas for real this time. Watch how this squad performs when the stakes are higher.