Last season under Mike D’Antoni and thanks to numerous injuries, the Los Angeles Lakers were a running team that relied on the three-pointer to keep up with more talented teams. The Lakers ranked in the top-10 in three-pointers attempted, and third in three-point percentage.
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The Lakers lost many of their top shooters from last season, and have a new head coach in Byron Scott. In their first three games of the preseason, the Lakers have struggled on offense, failing to shoot 45 percent in any game so far. According to Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters, Kobe Bryant believes the Lakers are still trying to figure out their identity:
Kobe said LAL still trying to figure out what type of offensive team they are (1/2): “We’re not a particularly three-point shooting team…
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) October 13, 2014
Kobe (2/2): “We don’t have great floor spreaders per say. But, we are an attack the basket team, post up team…some mid-range.”
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) October 13, 2014
Byron Scott has stressed defense over and over, but the Lakers have struggled on the other end just as much as they have on defense. Bryant is right about the lack of floor spacers, but the Lakers have struggled shooting everywhere.
Nick Young’s injury isn’t helping matters as he is one of the team’s best offensive weapons, but the Lakers will need to figure out where they can excel on the offensive end soon. The regular season is around the corner and the Lakers still have a long way to go if they plan on proving people wrong.
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