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Los Angeles Lakers: Five takeaways from the first five games

By Jason Reed

PHOENIX, AZ - OCTOBER 24: Lonzo Ball #2 and LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers high five during the first half of the NBA game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena on October 24, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Lakers defeated the Suns 131-113. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ - OCTOBER 24: Lonzo Ball #2 and LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers high five during the first half of the NBA game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena on October 24, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Lakers defeated the Suns 131-113. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers /

4. Every game is going to be extremely high scoring

The Los Angeles Lakers are really good at this scoring points thing. The Lakers already had a talented young core that could score the rock and adding LeBron James has only made each of them better.

This team plays at such a fast-pace but has also shown, especially in the win against the Denver Nuggets, that the team can slow the game down and not be so reliant on fastbreak points. With this nice blend, the Lakers have averaged the second-most (125.6) points per game thus far.

The scary thing is that the offense has not even hit its full potential as the team could be better in free-throw shooting and three-point shooting. As those two areas get better, the Lakers offense is only going to continue to grow.

However, the team is also pretty bad defensively. JaVale McGee has been the team’s best defender thus far statistically with Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart also being good perimeter defenders.

LeBron has not been great defensively, neither has Kuzma and the Lakers have allowed a lot of points as a result. Los Angeles allows 124.4 points per games, the second-worst total in the league. 58.8 of those points come in the paint (third-most) and the team’s 113.9 defensive rating is the sixth-most in the league.

Buckle up, we are going to see very, very many high scoring Los Angeles Lakers games. If you are a gambler, bet the over.

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