After going through an ill-fated attempt at conforming to the Princeton offense without Steve Nash, the Lakers have shown inconsistency under Mike D'Antoni and his system with or without Nash.
Despite their apparent struggles on offense, statistics show that the Lakers haven't had a problem scoring.
They are fifth in the league in points per game, averaging 102.9 points per contest. However, they are also giving up 100.6 points per game, which is 24th-worst in the league.
Such a small margin between the two numbers is a good barometer of their performance overall. The fact that they are hovering around .500 shouldn't be a surprise.
While the Lakers played well under interim coach Bernie Bickerstaff, who led the team to a 4-1 record during his brief tenure, they have been mediocre at best under Mike Brown and D'Antoni.
Playing under Brown, the Lakers struggled on both ends of the floor.
With perhaps the slowest pace in the NBA, the Lakers struggled getting fast-break points and were lethargic on defense.
Though Brown had a sterling reputation on the defensive end, the personnel he had at his disposal were vastly different. His schemes did not translate.
Previously coaching players such as Anderson Varejao, LeBron James and Delonte West, Brown had young and athletic perimeter and interior defenders that could rotate quickly and defend multiple positions.
During his tenure with the Lakers, Brown's schemes did not translate well with two defensive anchors in Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol, who were both dealing with different injuries.
Furthermore, although Kobe Bryant is still an excellent perimeter defender, he is no ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
