The Los Angeles Lakers have endured a tough start to the season. They were one of the most revamped teams of the summer and everybody around the NBA was talking about them, yet they look far from championship material at this moment.
The team has struggled to get stops and has blown two winnable games against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Russell Westbrook continues to be inconsistent and they’re still missing some pieces due to injury.
So, in the wake of LeBron James potentially missing up to 2 months of action, people have started to lose faith in the purple and gold. That includes ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, who expects them to be 2nd-round exits at best.
Stephen A. Smith Says The Lakers Won’t Last In The Playoffs
“At this particular juncture, a berth to the second round of the playoffs and that’s about all,” Smith said on First Take. “I’m not predicting that’s gonna happen just yet, but they’re giving us no to be enthusiastic. LeBron James looks relatively human. Can we count on Carmelo Anthony this year? 52% from 3-point range and 50% from the field? As good as I know he is, and as proud as I am of him of still being in this league, I don’t think we can count on those numbers to continue, and then there is Russell Westbrook. [He’s] averaging 18, 8 and 8, but shooting 25% from 3-point range, about 41% from the field, that’s not going to cut it.”
It’s still way too early to tell how the Lakers will fare and they’ll definitely be much better once everybody’s healthy and on the same page. Then again, they need to turn things around quickly before they have to spend all the season playing catch-up.
